Venezuelans hit streets in protest
Security forces disregard Guaidó’s call for military uprising
CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelans heeded opposition leader Juan Guaidó’s call to fill streets around the nation Wednesday, but security forces showed no sign of backing his cry for a military uprising, instead dispersing crowds with tear gas as the political crisis threatened to deepen.
Thousands cheered Guaidó in Caracas as he rolled up his sleeves and called on Venezuelans to remain out in force and prepare for a general strike, a day after his attempt to spark a mass military defection by forces loyal to President Nicolas Maduro failed to tilt the balance of power.
“It’s totally clear now the usurper has lost,” he proclaimed.
Across town at the Carlota air base near where Guaidó made his plea Tuesday for a revolt, clashes between protesters and troops loyal to Maduro made clear the standoff dragged on.
There and elsewhere state security forces launched tear gas and fired rubber bullets, while bands of mostly young men armed with makeshift shields threw rocks and set a motorcycle ablaze.
“I don’t want to say it was a disaster,” Marilina Carillo, 54, said, standing in a crowd of people blowing horns and whistles. “But it wasn’t a success.”
Opposition leaders hoped that Guaidó’s move would stir a string of defections and shake Maduro’s grip on power. Instead, some analysts expect the socialist leader to emerge more emboldened. While the chief of Venezuela’s intelligence agency broke ranks, most others stood steadfast.
The events could spell more uncertainty for Venezuela, which has been rocked by three months of upheaval after Guaidó re-energized a flagging opposition movement by declaring himself interim president.
The United States and more than 50 other nations are backing Guaidó as Venezuela’s legitimate president, and Maduro allies such as Russia are lending the president military and economic support.
U.S. national security adviser
John Bolton said Wednesday that Maduro is surrounded by “scorpions in a bottle” and that figures among his inner circle had been “outed” as dealing with the opposition.
The United States also said that Maduro had been ready to flee, an airplane on the tarmac, but was talked out of it by Russian advisers.
Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, said such assertions were part of a “global information and psychological war against Venezuela and Caracas.”