Continued Protests in Venezuela

Opponents of Nicolas Maduro, the President of Venezuela, took to the streets on Thursday, promising a new day of massive protests. According to the Associated Press, tens of thousands poured into the streets of Caracas, with marchers shouting 'Who are we?' and responding in unison 'Venezuela.' The marchers asked 'What do we want?' and answered 'Freedom.' The French news agency also reported that protesters, determined to oust the leftist leader, gathered in Caracas from the early hours and did not shy away from continuing protests after the most violent day in three weeks of unrest. According to the French news agency, police fired tear gas at the demonstrators in Caracas. The senior opposition leader, Enrique Capriles, stated that they will not surrender and called their duty to defend the constitution. The French news agency reported a heavy presence of security forces in the capital's streets with armored trucks and riot police protecting main roads. According to this report, a Venezuela analyst, Diego Moya Ocampos, in London, said that the stronger the protests, the stronger the crackdown will be. Many business centers and universities remained closed following the widespread protests on Wednesday. Demonstrators are calling for elections and saving their oil-rich country's economy. Two students and a National Guard soldier were victims of the large protests on Wednesday in Venezuela; a 17-year-old boy and a 23-year-old woman were shot in the head, and the Maduro government stated that a soldier was also killed outside Caracas. Opposition supporters in Caracas, the capital, and other cities in Venezuela protested in what they called 'the mother of all marches,' condemning Maduro for the gradual destruction of freedom and democracy and plunging this oil-rich country into chaos. Gatherings on Wednesday swelled to hundreds of thousands, including a rally of Maduro supporters who held a counter-demonstration in the capital at the president's request. During the protests on Wednesday, which were assessed as the largest demonstrations in Venezuela since 2014 and in nearly three years, clashes were reported across the country. Maduro stated that the protests, while peaceful, were somewhat more than an opposition effort to incite a coup to end socialism in Venezuela. The opposition claims he has become a dictator and accuses his government of using armed civilians to spread violence and fear. With three more deaths in the protests on Wednesday, the number of casualties in recent weeks in Venezuela has reached at least seven. The opposition holds security forces and what they call paramilitary groups responsible for the casualties. According to 'Pinal Forum,' a Venezuelan NGO defending human rights, over four hundred people were arrested during the protests on Wednesday.