|

Venezuela’s May 1 in Images – Opposing and Supporting a Coup

In the midst of a right wing coup attempt, Chavista workers took to the streets on May Day in massive numbers.
maduro_tarima_2_2

As crowds gathered in the wealthy east Caracas district to support self-proclaimed “Interim President” Juan Guaido’s call for a coup d’etat, Chavistas, workers, and patriots marched from a number of different points in the capital Caracas.

The Chavista march, which has been described as one of the largest in recent times, had the dual purpose of both celebrating International Workers’ Day, and opposing failed military putsch which had unfolded the day before.

While the Chavista march was carried out peacefully, some opposition gatherings in east Caracas descended into violence, with right wing protestors setting up barricades, throwing molotov cocktails and stones, and even using firearms to confront police and National Guard forces. 

Speaking at the Chavista march, President Nicolas Maduro declared that the latest attempt from “imperialism” to overthrow the elected government had been “defeated,” and that the oppositon’s activities largely led to nothing.