Venezuelans to March against Violence, Fascism

Venezuelans will stage a march on Saturday to reject the recent wave of violence and destabilization attempts against the constitutional government by sectors of the political opposition.

Announcing the action, President Nicolas Maduro said: “This Saturday, all the people of Caracas will mobilize against fascism, violence and destabilization. We’ll take to the streets to demonstrate that what we want is peace, coexistence, democracy and socialism.”

The President spoke from the Miraflores Presidential Palace after violent actions on Wednesday left three people dead and dozens of others injured. President Maduro urged Venezuelans to be attentive to the Plan for Peace and Coexistence which will be launched today as part of efforts to make Venezuela a peaceful territory.

Meanwhile, a Venezuelan court on Thursday ordered the arrest of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez on murder and terrorism charges linked to street protests that resulted in the deaths of three people on Wednesday. Lopez is accused of sowing violence to try to clear the path for a coup similar to the one 12 years ago that briefly ousted late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.

“We are facing a developing coup d’etat in Venezuela and the Bolivarian Revolution is going to triumph through the constitution, its laws and there will be peace in Venezuela,” Maduro said earlier on Thursday.

Maduro pointed to U.S. intervention in the protests, saying a small group of irresponsible, violent leaders, filled with hatred and personal ambitions, received funds from Washington.