Rival Protests Grip Venezuela After Guaid's Failed Effort to Beckon Military
A day after the Venezuelan opposition’s call for a military uprising failed, the country’s political crisis returned to a protracted standoff punctuated by violence on Wednesday, with the government and protesters seeking to project strength at rival May Day rallies.
“There’s no turning back,” Juan Guaidó, the opposition leader, told supporters in Caracas, the capital, where tear gas fired by riot police officers shrouded some protest sites. “Despite the repression, we’re still here.”
There were reports late in the day that armed pro-government forces used live fire against some protesters in Altamira, part of a Caracas area where the opposition is strong. The extent of injuries was not immediately clear, but at least one journalist was struck by shotgun pellets.
Thousands of Mr. Guaidó’s supporters in Caracas and elsewhere heeded his call to demonstrate, although not enough to meet his promise to stage “the biggest march in history.” Still, his ability to remain at large and to rally supporters — after his attempt to recruit the military to his side sputtered on Tuesday — underlined the weaknesses in the government of his opponent, President Nicolás Maduro.
Mr. Guaidó called on Venezuelan workers to begin “rolling strikes” starting Thursday, building to a general strike later in the month. It was unclear how much pressure that would apply since most companies already operate at minimum capacity after five years of recession.
The protest against Mr. Maduro on May Day, a national holiday for workers in Venezuela, was a test for Mr. Guaidó in his ambition to claim the leadership of a country suffering from a crumbling economy that has left the population lacking food and medical care.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/rival-protests-grip-venezuela-after-guaidós-failed-effort-to-beckon-military/ar-AAALK76?li=BBnb7Kz