On September 3rd, the President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro was chased through the streets by a hungry, pot-banging crowd of protesters. The rally was held in Margarita Island in a town called Villa Rosa, where Venezuelan citizens were expressing the country’s startling food crisis. Many blame the unpopular president for the lack of food, as well as the shortage of money to buy the little food that remains.
Maduro had actually walked into the crowd of people, attempting to calm them, until he was chased down several blocks by the angry protesters. Shortly before the incident, Maduro gave a televised speech in which he declaimed that he step down as President, and accused those against him as being ‘vampires’ who were preparing acts of violence.
Prior to episode in Villa Rosa, many Venezuelans held rallies and protests against the President, yelling that they were hungry. Many have been arrested or detained for speaking out against Maduro, including popular reporter Braulio Jatar who was reporting the protest.
The ultimate goal of the opposing group leaders against Maduro are seeking to remove him from office, in a mass protest called ‘the taking of Caracas.’ A referendum might take place this year, much to the hope of Venezuela’s people. According to the current polls, Maduro is likely to lose the referendum.
The protest that occurred in Vila Rosa ignited a sense of patriotic unity in Venezuela. Ever since Maduro was seen being chased through the streets, Maduro’s office have made no comments about the protest or the arrests.