Venezuelan police break up anti-government rally with tear gas
CARACAS: Police on motorcycles fired tear gas Saturday to break up an opposition march on the Venezuelan Supreme Court to press demands that President Nicolas Maduro leave office, as months of sometimes deadly anti-government demonstrations showed no signs of abating.
The rally was also meant as a show of support for a slate of 33 magistrates — a so- called shadow supreme court — whose names were put forward Friday by the opposition to replace Venezuela’s current high court, which is closely allied with Maduro and frequently rules in his favor.
Emboldened by a nationwide strike on Thursday that paralyzed parts of the capital Caracas and other Venezuelan cities, opposition leaders held a mock swearing-in ceremony Friday for the shadow court’s new ‘judges’.
Many oftheactual court’sjustices were hastily appointed shortly before Maduro’s ruling party lost its majority in congress.
The shadow court has strong support from the demonstrators, organizers said Saturday.
“Everyone has given their backing to the new Supreme Court,” tweeted Freddy Guevara, a leader of the opposition-led congress.
“We support the new judges because they will restore independence to the Supreme Court,” said 43-year- old demonstrator Luis Torrealba, marching with his wife and teenage son.
In Saturday’s march, hundreds of people took to a key Caracas motorway to head downtown toward the court building. But uniformed National Guard troops riding motorcycles fired tear gas to disperse them.
Wuilly Arteaga, a violinist who has become a celebrity for playing at many opposition marches, was injured and taken to a clinic.
The 23-year- old was seen with blood pouring from cuts on the left side of his face.
He said later he had been struck with buckshot. — AFP