Strike continues in Caracas as tensions mount ahead of controversial constituent assembly
Record ID:
904358
Strike continues in Caracas as tensions mount ahead of controversial constituent assembly
- Title: Strike continues in Caracas as tensions mount ahead of controversial constituent assembly
- Date: 27th July 2017
- Summary: CARACAS, VENEZUELA (JULY 27, 2017) (REUTERS) GENERAL VIEW OF MAIN CARACAS AVENUE EMPTY, SOME PEOPLE WALKING AROUND PEDESTRIANS DUCKING UNDER TAPES THAT ARE BLOCKING SIDEWALKS EMPTY STREET THAT IS STREWN WITH RUBBISH AND TAPE AND ROPE VARIOUS OF POLICE ON THE STREET POLICE OFFICERS GETTING IN TRUCK OUTSIDE METRO STATION IN CARACAS SIGN ON THE STREET THAT READS "EMERGENCY: RECONSTRUCTION WITH NEW GOVERNMENT" (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) CARACAS RESIDENT IRIS RODRIGUEZ SAYING: "May God help us that something happens and the (vote) doesn't happen. If people haven't noticed, the constituent (assembly) will destroy life and if that happens, more Venezuelans will have to leave the country because this will turn in to a war, a civil war and we do not want that in the 21st century." PEOPLE WALKING ACROSS STREET THAT HAS RUBBISH STREWN ABOUT PROTESTERS ADDING BARRICADE TO STREET THREE MASKED PROTESTERS WALKING ACROSS BLOCKED AVENUE VENEZUELAN FLAG STRUNG ACROSS STREET ON A ROPE, STREET BLOCKED BY RUBBISH RUBBISH STREWN ACROSS STREET IN CARACAS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) CARACAS RESIDENT JOSE GUZMAN SAYING: "I don't agree with this strike because truthfully, it will not accomplish anything. But what I do hope is that the President (Nicolas Maduro) keeps in mind that these guys aren't doing this just because they want to because many of them, like me, have up to three jobs just so they can make ends meet." SHUTTERED BUSINESSES PEOPLE WALKING ALONG AVENUE POLICE VEHICLE DRIVING THROUGH AREA MAIN AVENUE WITH VERY LITTLE VEHICULAR TRAFFIC TACHIRA, VENEZUELA (JULY 26, 2017) (REUTERS) GENERAL VIEW OF PROTESTERS STANDING ON TOP OF BURNED OUT BUS, JUMPING, CHANTING AND FIRING OFF MAKESHIFT EXPLOSIVES GENERAL VIEW OF PROTESTERS STANDING ON TOP OF BURNED OUT BUS GENERAL VIEW OF MASKED PROTESTERS THROWING ROCKS AND OTHER OBJECTS AT POLICE, GUNSHOTS HEARD, PEOPLE RUNNING GENERAL VIEW OF MASKED PROTESTERS ON STREET, IN THE DISTANCE TEAR GAS CAN BE SEEN MASKED PROTESTERS RUNNING AWAY MOTORCYCLE POLICE AT STAGING AREA, TEAR GAS FILLING THE STREETS TEAR GAS FILLING STREET MOTORCYCLE POLICE AT STAGING AREA RUBBISH AND OTHER OBJECTS BLOCKING STREET BURNING TIRE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET GENERAL VIEW OF BURNING TIRE AND OTHER RUBBISH BLOCKING STREET, PROTESTERS MILLING AROUND
- Embargoed: 10th August 2017 16:30
- Keywords: politics crisis drama sadness frustration strike Venezuela violence clashes
- Location: CARACAS AND TACHIRA, VENEZUELA
- City: CARACAS AND TACHIRA, VENEZUELA
- Country: Venezuela
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Civil Unrest
- Reuters ID: LVA0016RHU8NB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Three people have been killed in clashes between Venezuelan security forces and protesters during an opposition-led strike against President Nicolas Maduro that entered a second day on Thursday (July 27).
At least 106 people have died in total during anti-government unrest convulsing the South American OPEC nation since the opposition launched protests in April demanding elections to end nearly two decades of socialist rule.
Many streets around Venezuela remained barricaded and deserted during the second day of an opposition-led shutdown.
The strike aims to pressure Maduro into cancelling a controversial vote for a new congress at the weekend.
Adversaries say the ruling Socialist Party wants to consolidate dictatorship with a sham vote for the super-congress that will have the power to rewrite the constitution and shut down the existing opposition-led legislature.
Maduro says he is going ahead with Sunday's election for the Constituent Assembly as the only way to empower the people and bring peace to Venezuela.
The Venezuelan prosecutor's office said on Thursday that a 23-year-old man was killed in western Merida state and a 16-year-old boy died in the poor Caracas neighbourhood of Petare during clashes on Wednesday.
That added to the previously announced death of a 30-year-old man, also in mountainous Merida state.
More than 170 people have been arrested during the strike so far, a local human rights group said. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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