A large gathering of support for the people of Venezuela had hundreds of Calgarians chanting, marching and singing at Shaw Millennium Park on Saturday afternoon.
“We’re here together raising a voice for all those in Venezuela that can not be heard,” said Gilberto Gallinelli, one of the organizer’s of the demonstration. “All of our families there, they are afraid of the situation. There is terror right now.”
“It is like the government is against the citizens.”
In the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, violence has erupted over the past two weeks as police and National Guardsmen challenge a largely student led protest group, numbering in the tens of thousands, who oppose the rule of President Nicolas Maduro. At least ten people have died and hundreds have been injured in the clashes.
Contributing factors to the Venezuelan protest movement include questionable election results, a rising murder rate, a lack of basic goods, surging inflation and subsidized gasoline prices.
In a show of support for the citizens of the South American country, the assembled gathering in Calgary recreated the Venezuelan flag with each participant holding a yellow, red or blue card above their head.
With files from CTVNews.ca
