Hundreds of people in Venezuela have taken to the streets to protest the government's backing of the Syrian regime, which has been accused of atrocities in its bid to crush a 18-month protest movement.<br /><br />Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president, has continued to support his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad, along with the leaders of Russia and Iran, despite international condemnation of alleged war crimes. <br /><br />Caracas has sent at least three shiploads of oil to aid the Syrian government, which has been hit with Western embargoes over its crackdown on dissent.<br /><br />Lucia Newman reports from Caracas.
