Protests in Venezuela

For Venezuelan protesters who have held massive anti-government demonstrations, the end game is nothing less than the end of the Nicoleuros Maduro government. This, of course, is a local story, too, as thousands of exiled Venezuelans support their fellow countrymen. As important, the international community is finding its voice to condemn the undemocratic excesses of the Maduro regime.

Last week, Venezuelans lived through “the mother of all demonstrations,” the culmination of a month of protests sparked by the Supreme Court’s decision to strip the Congress, controlled by the opposition, of powers, a ruling that was later reversed.

The human toll has been high: At least 24 people have died in the past few weeks in the violence unleashed in street clashes between Maduro’s forces and protesters. Monday, the opposition held a strategic sit-in to cripple the city of Caracas, blocking important thoroughfares. Unfortunately, more people were killed. It’s a telling sign of so many Venezuelans’ anger and despair that they are willingly putting themselves in danger.