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Riot police block Venezuela's 'Grandparents' March'
| CNN | - |
(CNN)
This time it was the "abuelitos" -- Venezuela's grandparents -- who
took to the streets. On Friday, the face of the latest in an almost
daily series of sometimes deadly protests against the government of
President Nicolas Maduro changed from the ...
Riot police block Venezuela's 'Grandparents' March'
Story highlights
- Thousands of elderly Venezuelans marched against President Nicolas Maduro
- Some demonstrators shielded their faces from bursts of police pepper spray
(CNN)This time it was the "abuelitos" -- Venezuela's grandparents -- who took to the streets.
On
Friday, the face of the latest in an almost daily series of sometimes
deadly protests against the government of President Nicolas Maduro
changed from the bandana-wearing, rock-throwing rage of the country's
youth to the lined faces and mournful eyes of its oldest citizens.
An
elderly woman with a walker leads a group of desmonstrators during a
grandparents' march on the streets of Venezuela's capital on Friday.
Thousands
of elderly Venezuelans, some accompanied by their grandchildren,
encountered lines of riot police officers blocking parts of the
so-called "Grandparents' March" through the streets of Caracas.
Some demonstrators pushed
against the plastic shields of officers, who at times responded with
bursts of pepper spray, according to videos posted on social media.
A
video posted by Caracas Mayor Helen Fernandez showed marchers shielding
their faces from what she said was police pepper spray.
Venezuelans have been suffering from severe shortages of food and medicine.
Protests have raged across the country since the Venezuelan Supreme Court -- stacked with the President's loyalists -- attempted to take away legislative power from the opposition-led National Assembly in late March.
A protester turns away from a line of police officers blocking the path of marchers on Friday.
Many
blame Maduro for the crisis, which intensified after his administration
barred opposition leader Henrique Capriles from running for any
political office for 15 years.
Capriles
on Friday tweeted a photo of a woman who said she is 97 years old as
she stood before of phalanx of national guard troops in riot gear.
Protesters and international
observers have accused the government of taking a heavy-handed response
to the protests, including the firing of tear gas canisters and water
cannons. At least 38 Venezuelans have died since the unrest began.
On Friday, some elderly Venezuelans wore improvised gas masks. One mask was fashioned from a plastic bottle.
At least 38 Venezuelans have died during weeks of unrest.
The
country's problems have unraveled the lives of most Venezuelans, who
must cope with shortages of home staples like milk, flour and toilet
paper, rolling blackouts, rising unemployment and soaring violent crime.
For the elderly, life is tougher.
Many live on public pensions that pay them about $15 dollars a month.
People older than 70 cannot purchase private medical insurance.
Protester
Rafael Prieto, an 80-year-old cab driver, said government repression
against the marchers saddened him. Prieto said he had one wish for his
grandchildren: "The best of life -- peace, food and medicine."
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