Venezuela News & Protests: Students Walk Barefoot To Protest Chavista Government on Easter
Protesters in Venezuela continued to march over Easter weekend against the Maduro government. Although the crowds marching on Caracas' streets are not the same as they were back in February when the protests began, the student protesters' demands remain the same. Three months of protests have not changed much in the South American nation, and the student protests this past weekend demonstrated the opposition's emotional reaction to the lack of progress.
Despite lower numbers of protestors, students nonetheless enacted grand shows to protest the government of chavista President Nicolás Maduro. According to Reuters, students switched to religious-themed marches and manifestations to coincide with Holy Week, a Catholic celebration that ends on Easter Sunday. Students walked barefoot throughout the streets of Caracas during the week, carrying signs that read "Descalzos por Venezuela," or "Barefoot for Venezuela."
"We are going barefoot to symbolize the suffering of Venezuela: the repression, the bad government, the shortages," said law student Nicole Gonzalez, 18. "We may be fewer, but we are staying on the street!"
Students planned a whole array of manifestations to symbolize Venezuela's troubles and express their discontent with the current government. On Thursday, students were to reenact the Stations of the Cross and exemplify one of Venezuela's problems at each station. Mocked crucifixions were enacted on Good Friday. Reuters reports that the student wing of the opposition has broken away from the mainstream opposition, which has decided to join in talks with the government.
"This is not a dialogue. They haven't given anything, the government hasn't conceded a thing," said mother-of-two Carolina Fernandez, 48, of the negotiations. "We have achieved nothing yet. We have to keep fighting. I'm here to support these kids, to let them know they're not alone."
Although the talks were announced with great hopes, they have not yielded any results. To further deteriorate the situation, the Maduro government rejected the opposition's request to give amnesty to those imprisoned, according to BBC News.
To culminate this week's protests, students copied a Catholic tradition of burning effigies of Judas. However, according to Voice of America, the students burned effigies of Maduro and other high-ranking members of the government. The students called for the "resurrection of democracy" in Venezuela.
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