The student protests organized for today appear to have rallied a huge turnout. Considering that today is a 1) a Sunday, and on top of that, 2) smack-dab in the middle of what should be a week-long beach party, there’s a lot of positive buzz regarding this turnout.
Francisco de Miranda Avenue in Caracas:
Same concentration, another viewpoint:
Antonio Ledezma tweeted this one, and it’s from somewhere in Caracas:
And here’s an interesting shot of the same crowd from another viewpoint. I wonder what he’s thinking:
Caracas:
This one is from Lara state (possibly Barquisimeto):
San Cristobal:
This one is from a caravan in Maracaibo:
And finally, Valencia:
I’ve got to say I’m really very surprised that we’re still seeing this kind of turnout not only almost a month since the protests started, but specially considering that we’re in a holiday weekend. For the non-Venezuelans, carnaval (or any excuse to not go to work/go to the beach) is a sacred time in Venezuelan people’s lives. The fact that the people in these demonstrations apparently stayed in the city and actually turned out on the streets is pretty incredible.
A national newspaper (El Nacional) is making a big deal out of it, too. They quote the president of the Federacion de Centros Universitarios UCV as saying that the protests aren’t about opposition vs. Chavistas, but rather, “the struggle of the people against an inefficient government.”
In Venezuela 