Following protests that left three dead on February 12th, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says he will “order the arrest of opposition leaders [whom] he claimed were plotting an overthrow.”
According to the LA Times, Maduro made these comments “at a military parade in the northern Aragua state” after violence had taken its toll in the capital city of Caracas. In another speech broadcast on national TV, Maduro said, “We’re facing an evolving coup d’etat, and the Bolivarean revolution with triumph.”
The protests were organized to denounce “the high cost of living, rising insecurity and inflation.” Opposition leaders claim they encouraged a peaceful protest.
As the protests were taking place, “witnesses said vigilantes arrived on motorcycles to harass the marchers, and… some fired indiscriminately into the crowds.” Of the 61 persons reported injured, 17 were police.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins.
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