Thousands of pro and anti-government protesters took part in rival demonstrations in Venezuela’s capital Caracas on Saturday.<br /><br />Anti-government protesters say they are angry at high levels of crime and the poor state of the economy.<br /><br />They were also remembering two students killed during a demonstration by an unknown gunman. Both sides accuse the other of being behind the shootings.<br /><br />The march started peacefully but there were clashes between activists and police as night fell.<br /><br />In a live TV speech, President Maduro warned the country’s elite that if it tried to topple the democratically elected government, it could expect an armed response.<br /><br />Maduro has blamed the United States for backing the opposition and being behind a coup plot.<br /><br />He called on his supporters to take to the streets to march for peace.<br /><br />“Get out Yankees. Long live Chavez, long live Maduro. Get out saboteurs. We want peace in our homeland, Venezuela,” said one government supporter.<br /><br />More marches are expected to take place throughout Sunday.
