“Poor neighborhoods near the Miraflores Presidential Palace were the scene of violent protests Monday, in spite of Venezuela being in a state of exception, challenging the perception that the poorest Venezuelans offer President Nicolas Maduro their automatic solidarity. Hooded and armed men blocked intersections with public-transport buses and burning tires, in what is, to date, the most violent anti-government protest to take place in 23 de Enero, the parish in downtown Caracas where Hugo Chavez has a mausoleum and museum, formerly the Venezuelan Army Museum. Now, ‘el 23’ as people call the blocky project-dominated area, is under a virtual state of siege, in armed street protest against food shortages and what they deem as excessive police action.”
Source: Latin American Herald Tribune – Venezuela’s Poor Begin to Rise Up Against the Government
