Venezuela Opposition Aims to Keep Protests Peaceful, but Violence Erupts<br />National Assembly said that I’m calling on the country, on all of Venezuela, to go out into the<br />streets until we have a democratic country with social justice, where there’s progress for all,<br />Officials said the casualties included two dead in gunfire in Mérida<br />and Barinas States, among the places where opposition protesters gathered against President Nicolás Maduro.<br />The most recent discontent arose on March 29 when the Venezuelan Supreme Court, controlled by leftist stalwarts,<br />essentially dissolved the country’s National Assembly and took on lawmaking powers for itself.<br />By NICHOLAS CASEYAPRIL 24, 2017<br />Venezuelan government officials blamed the opposition for attacks against pro-government demonstrators<br />on Monday during sit-ins organized by the opposition that gathered thousands in support of elections.<br />Diosdado Cabello, a top lawmaker in the country’s ruling Socialist party, said<br />he would call a pro-government rally on May 1, International Workers’ Day.<br />After the move was condemned internationally — and even by some in Mr. Maduro’s own party — the president told the court to undo parts of its ruling.<br />They became almost daily occurrences after security forces last Wednesday attacked<br />crowds of peaceful protesters with rubber bullets and water cannons.
