Venezuelan police and members of the national guard (GNB) blocked a large anti-government march from proceeding to Plaza Venezuela in central Caracas on Wednesday, April 26, launching tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd.
The journalist who shot this footage, Luisa Salomón, claimed the GNB fired the tear gas without warning, and after opposition leaders made attempts to speak to police and negotiate passage for the marchers.
Venezuelan opposition leaders also said security forces launched tear gas at protesters in front of an elementary school in Caracas on Wednesday, impacting children there.
Wednesday’s protests were part of ongoing demonstrations against President Nicholas Maduro and his administration, whom the opposition say is trying to evade new elections, amid a severe economic crisis. Recent protests have led to more than 20 deaths, prompting accusations of police brutality and violent protest suppression tactics by the national guard.
