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Timeline of protests in Venezuela in 2018

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2018 protests in Venezuela began in the first days of January as a result of high levels of hunger by desperate Venezuelans. Within the first two weeks of the year, hundreds of protests and looting incidents occurred throughout the country.[1] By late-February, protests against the Venezuelan presidential elections occurred after several opposition leaders were banned from participating. Into March, the Maduro government began to crack down on military dissent, arresting dozens of high-ranking officials including former SEBIN director Miguel Rodríguez Torres.[2]

The NGO Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflict (OVCS) reported that there were 12,715 registered protests in Venezuela in 2018.[3]

January

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  • 1 January – President Maduro announces a 40% raise in the minimum wage due to hyperinflation.[4]
  • 3 January – A soldier in the National Guard is arrested for shooting a pregnant woman dead.[5]
  • 9 January – After failed talks with President Maduro, the opposition have looked to the military to oust him from power.[6]
  • 10 January – Four bystanders are killed during food riots in Mérida. Food trucks were looted while cattle in nearby farms were stolen and butchered by hungry Venezuelans.[7]
  • 11 January – Within the first eleven days of 2018, 107 looting incidents occurred in 19 states while 386 protests happened.[1]
  • 12 January – Further looting occurs throughout Venezuela resulting in multiple armored National Guard units being deployed.[1]
  • 13 January – Residents of Caracas near Avenida Fuerzas Armadas blocked traffic in protest after they had lost electricity in their homes.[8]
  • 14 January – Over 22 stores are looted in Calabozo, Guarico due to the lack of access to food and services.[9]
  • 15 JanuaryOscar Pérez, rebel helicopter pilot was cornered by government forces and he was killed in the siege by military and paramilitary forces. Neighbors in El Junquito on the outskirts of Caracas blocked traffic in protest after the siege.[10][11][12]

February

[edit]
Demonstrators gather at the East Cemetery during the United for Life march on 12 February 2018
  • 7 February – Diplomatic talks mediated by the Dominican Republic between the opposition and Bolivarian government are suspended "indefinitely".[13]
  • 12 February – Members of the Student Movement led the United for Life march on the fourth anniversary of the beginning of protests, with Venezuelans marching dressed in black in respect and memory of those who were killed during the protests. The destination of the march was the Eastern Cemetery of Caracas where protesters placed flowers at the graves of those had died during demonstrations, including rebel leader Óscar Pérez.[14]
  • 14 FebruaryCardinal Baltazar Porras Cardozo calls for the Venezuelan people "with serenity and firmness, to mobilize to express what the international community has told us, that the convocation of presidential elections is illegitimate".[15]
  • 23 February – Residents of 23 de Enero block access to the area while protesting against the lack of access to water for more than ten days.[16]

March

[edit]
An opposition citizen's assembly held on 17 March 2018
  • 8 March – Members of the opposition gathered during the newly created Frente Amplio Venezuela Libre's meeting to announce national street protests to be held on 17 March 2018 to demonstrate against the controversial 2018 presidential elections.[17]
  • 11 March – After facing several days of electrical issues, residents of Trujillo, Trujillo began to protest and loot stores after the entire city finally succumbed to a power outage, with looting occurring throughout the night into 12 March.[18]
  • 12 March – Frente Amplio Venezuela Libre lead a rally outside of the United Nations headquarters in Venezuela, with former-chavista minister Miguel Rodríguez Torres reading a document drafter by the opposition group demanding the intergovernmental body to ignore the upcoming presidential elections and to instead focus on human rights concerns in the country.[19]
  • 13 March – Former-chavista minister and general Miguel Rodríguez Torres, who had spoken the previous day at an opposition rally, is arrested by SEBIN agents and brought to the Dirección General de Contrainteligencia Militar headquarters in Sucre, Miranda.[20]
  • 17 March – The opposition's Frente Amplio Venezuela Libre movement holds assemblies in the 335 municipalities of Venezuela, gathering citizens do discuss a way out of the crisis, though some meetings showed little turnout.[21]
  • 26 March – Residents of El Valle protest for food after a truck promised by President Maduro to be carrying food to the area never arrived.[22]
  • 31 March – At least 728 protests were recorded in the month of March, with the majority denouncing the lack of services and food.[23]

April

[edit]
  • 4 April – At the JM de los Rios Children's Hospital in Caracas, dozens of Venezuelan children suffering from cancer protested due to the lack of attention and medicine that they suffer from.[24]
  • 9 April – Dozens of Venezuelans suffering from Parkinson's disease protested in Plaza Altamira against the government after promised medicine had not arrived for over six months.[25]
  • 18 April – In Caracas, the Bolivarian National Police was deployed to disperse Venezuelans effected by HIV that were protesting for pharmaceutical and medical care from the government at the headquarters of the health ministry.[26]
  • 19 April – Throughout the country, Venezuelans placed banners in public areas calling for President Maduro to resign the presidency.[27]
  • 26 April – Residents of La Pastora, a neighborhood located near the president's Miraflores Palace, spontaneously protested during the evening after they had been denied water in their homes once more after numerous months of complaints. The protests stunned security at the palace who observed individuals climbing the fences, with authorities demanding demonstrators to move further away, but the crowds refused. Water was quickly rerouted to the neighborhood which successfully eased the concerns of protesters, though numerous complaints of water shortages in other areas of Caracas remained ignored by the government.[28]

May

[edit]
  • Election centers during the 2018 presidential election saw low turnout due to protest
    15 May – During a National Assembly session, reporters and deputies were attacked by National Guardsmen who denied journalists entry into the Palacio Federal Legislativo, with the National Guard assaulting and destroying belongings of individuals belonging to the media and National Assembly.[29][30]
  • 16 May – A prison riot occurs in El Helicoide, with several political prisoners arrested during the protests facing danger as Venezuelan authorities fired tear gas and buckshot at individuals in the area.[31][32]
  • 20 May – Following the announcement that President Maduro was reelected in the presidential election, citizens of Caracas began a cacerolazo and some individuals began to barricade streets in protest.[33] Voter turnout was the lowest in Venezuela's modern history after the opposition boycotted the election out of protest.[34]
  • 21 May – Venezuelans across the country participated in small protests against the election results, with the largest demonstration organized by Soy Venezuela occurring near the Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base.[35]
  • 28 May – In Isla Margarita, Nueva Esparta, clashes between student protesters and the National Guard[36] results in seven arrests and a fire at the Universidad de Oriente Nueva Esparta after a tear gas canister entered a building.[37]

June

[edit]

July

[edit]
  • Nurses protesting for a fair salary
    2 July – The Supreme Tribunal of Justice in exile, based in Panama, makes a ruling that Nicolás Maduro was no longer the legitimate President of Venezuela and called for the opposition-led National Assembly of Venezuela to appoint a new President of Venezuela.[39] The ruling was supported by Secretary General of the Organization of American States Luis Almagro.[39]
  • 3 JulyLilian Tintori and other activists are quickly turned away from a planned protest after a large group of colectivos confronted the demonstration.[40]
  • 7 July –Rioting inside El Helicoide begins once again after plans to retaliate against mistreatment in the prison.[41]
  • 9 July – Health workers who had joined the Association of Nurses of Caracas stated that they would march to Miraflores Palace on 12 July 2018 if the Minister of Health Carlos Alvarado ignored their call for a meeting. The association had been holding protests throughout Caracas demanding better conditions for their patients and for a better living wage that had been affected by hyperinflation in Venezuela.[42]
  • 18 July – Protests organized by Venezuelan unions demanding adequate pay amid hyperinflation intensify. Elderly individuals demanding the payment of their pensions in Fuerza Armadas, Caracas were approached by colectivos, though the protesters drove away the would-be intimidators.[43]
  • 30 July – Opposition leader Henrique Capriles states that talks about mobilizing an anti-government movement were progressing and that efforts were underway to unify nurses, teachers and other Venezuelan groups, explaining that the groups needed to mobilize now or else the Venezuelan opposition would "disappear".[44]

August

[edit]
  • 4 August – At 5:40 p.m drones exploded while Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was giving a speech on Avenida Bolívar during a military parade.[45][46][47][48]
  • 16 August – A march led by nurses, who had been protesting for 53 consecutive days, was destined to arrive at the president's Miraflores Palace, though it was blocked by hundreds of authorities.[49] However, after being without electricity for more than 36 hours, residents of the Altagracia parish living near Miraflores Palace protested outside the palace's gates and were quickly dispersed by the National Guard, who fired tear gas and pellets at protesters.[50]
  • 19 August – Representatives of Justice First, Popular Will and Radical Cause call for Venezuelans to participate in a general strike on 21 August 2018.[51]

September

[edit]
  • 1 September – Elderly pensioners protest throughout Venezuela, demanding payment from the government.[52]

November

[edit]
  • 28 November – Citizens demanding a living wage planned to march to Miraflores Palace but were dispersed by members of the National Guard and National Police.[53]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Maria Delgado, Antonio (12 January 2018). "Ola de saqueos estremece a Venezuela, van 107 casos en once días". El Nuevo Herald. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  2. ^ "Los venezolanos realizan asambleas ciudadanas en las calles en rechazo a las elecciones presidenciales del 20 de mayo". Infobae (in Spanish). 17 March 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  3. ^ "Venezuela registró 12.715 protestas 2018, según OVCS". Noticiero Digital. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  4. ^ "Venezuela raises minimum wage 40 percent amid hyperinflation crisis".
  5. ^ "Venezuelan soldier arrested for pregnant woman's murder".
  6. ^ Otis, John (9 January 2018). "Venezuela opposition looks to military to oust Maduro. Dream on". The Guardian.
  7. ^ "Food riots in Venezuela leave four dead, 16 wounded". Daily Sabah. 13 January 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  8. ^ "Protestan en la avenida Fuerzas Armadas la noche de este #13Ene (Video)". La Patilla (in European Spanish). 13 January 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  9. ^ "Un total de 22 locales fueron saqueados en Calabozo, según el gobernador de Guárico". La Patilla (in European Spanish). 14 January 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  10. ^ "Venezuela latest: 'Rambo' rebel helicopter pilot Oscar Perez cornered by government security forces". The Independent. 16 January 2018. Archived from the original on 2022-05-07.
  11. ^ "Óscar Pérez: Cronología de una muerte narrada por redes sociales". El Estimulo (in European Spanish). 16 January 2018.
  12. ^ "Vecinos de El Junquito protestaron en apoyo a Óscar Pérez". El Nacional (in European Spanish). 15 January 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  13. ^ "Venezuela talks break down as presidential vote looms". The Washington Post. Associated Press. 7 February 2018. Archived from the original on 7 February 2018.
  14. ^ "Estudiantes marcharon hasta el Cementerio el Este en honor a los caídos". El Nacional (in Spanish). 12 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  15. ^ "Cardenal Porras considera oportuno movilización del pueblo en rechazo a las presidenciales". La Patilla (in European Spanish). 14 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  16. ^ "¡Se rebeló el pueblo! Cerrados los accesos al 23 de Enero por protesta #23Feb". La Patilla (in European Spanish). 23 February 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  17. ^ "Venezuela opposition calls for protest against presidential vote". Reuters. 8 March 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  18. ^ "Protestas en Trujillo por falta de luz terminaron en saqueos". El Nacional (in Spanish). 12 March 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  19. ^ "Frente Venezuela Libre reactiva protestas para rechazar el "fraude electoral" #12Mar". Efecto Cocuyo (in European Spanish). 12 March 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  20. ^ "Rodríguez Torres, el allegado de Chávez que fue execrado por Maduro". Efecto Cocuyo (in European Spanish). 14 March 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  21. ^ Vinogradoff, Ludmila (17 March 2018). "El frente opositor de Venezuela exige elecciones limpias en más de 300 asambleas". ABC (in European Spanish). Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  22. ^ "Protestaron en El Valle para exigir comida". El Nacional (in Spanish). 26 March 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  23. ^ "Al menos 728 protestas se registraron en marzo por falta de comida y servicios públicos". La Patilla (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  24. ^ "Entre lágrimas, niños que luchan contra el cáncer protestan frente al JM de los Ríos (Fotos)". La Patilla (in European Spanish). 2018-04-05. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  25. ^ "Enfermos de Parkinson exigen al Gobierno distribución urgente de medicamentos (Fotos y Videos)". La Patilla (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2018-04-10.
  26. ^ "PNB reprime protesta de pacientes con VIH frente al ministerio de Salud #18Abr". La Patilla (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2018-04-20.
  27. ^ "Varios estados del país amanecieron con pancartas en contra del gobierno de Maduro #19Abr (fotos)". La Patilla (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2018-04-20.
  28. ^ Singer, Florantonia (27 April 2018). "El día que faltó el agua en el Palacio de Miraflores". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  29. ^ "Camarógrafo de Venevisión presenta varios traumatismos tras ser atacado en el Palacio Legislativo (fotos y video)". La Patilla (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  30. ^ "EN VIDEO: El Coronel Lugo fuera de sus cabales… destruyendo la cámara de Venevisión". La Patilla (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  31. ^ "Presos de El Helicoide denuncian bombardeo de lacrimógenas y piden presencia de Fiscalía y Defensoría (Audio)". La Patilla (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2018-05-17.
  32. ^ Camacho, Carlos (16 May 2018). "Venezuela Political Prisoners Riot as National Guard & Police Surround Nefarious Prison (VIDEO)". Latin American Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
  33. ^ "Reportan cacerolazo en varios sectores de Caracas". La Patilla (in European Spanish). 20 May 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  34. ^ "The Latest: Venezuela Opposition Calls Election a 'Farce'". U.S. News & World Report. Associated Press. 21 May 2018. Archived from the original on 21 May 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  35. ^ Web, El Nacional (2018-05-21). "Movimiento Soy Venezuela protestó en la Francisco Fajardo". El Nacional (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-05-22.
  36. ^ "GNB reprime a estudiantes de la UDO en Nueva Esparta este #28May (Fotos)". La Patilla (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2018-05-29.
  37. ^ "Siete udistas detenidos tras protesta por servicios". El Sol de Margarita. Retrieved 2018-05-29.
  38. ^ "De la lista de 39 presos políticos "liberados" la mayoría serían colectivos y encausados con delitos comunes". La Patilla (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2018-06-02.
  39. ^ a b "Tribunal Supremo en el exilio insta a Asamblea Nacional a nombrar nuevo presidente de Venezuela". El Nuevo Herald. Retrieved 2018-07-10.
  40. ^ "Así asediaron los colectivos chavistas a Lilian Tintori este #3Jul (VIDEO)". La Patilla (in European Spanish). 3 July 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  41. ^ "Presos políticos en el Sebin advierten sobre "la inminencia" de otro motín". NTN24 (in Spanish). 2018-07-07. Retrieved 2018-07-10.
  42. ^ "Enfermeros evalúan protestar en el Palacio de Miraflores - LaPatilla.com". La Patilla (in European Spanish). 2018-07-09. Retrieved 2018-07-10.
  43. ^ "Abuelitos sacan a empujones a los colectivos que querían acabar con protesta en las Fuerzas Armadas (Video)". La Patilla (in European Spanish). 2018-07-18. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
  44. ^ "Opposition leader: Venezuela anti-government effort advances". ABC News. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  45. ^ Soldados de Franelas (1970-01-01). "Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro survives drone assassination attempt | World news". The Guardian. Retrieved 2018-08-05.
  46. ^ Martinez, Alexander (2016-10-05). "Maduro says he escaped drone 'assassination' attempt, blames Colombia". Yahoo.com. Retrieved 2018-08-05.
  47. ^ Krygier, Rachelle. "Maduro speech interrupted by explosions in what Venezuelan government calls a 'failed attack'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-08-05.
  48. ^ "Venezuelan President Unharmed After Assassination Attempt By Explosive Drones". Msn.com. 2017-04-19. Retrieved 2018-08-05.
  49. ^ "EN FOTOS: El régimen impide marcha a gremios de salud tras 53 días de protesta". La Patilla (in European Spanish). 2018-08-16. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  50. ^ "GNB reprime a los manifestantes frente al Palacio de Miraflores (Videos) #16Ago". La Patilla (in European Spanish). 2018-08-16. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  51. ^ "Paro nacional de 24 horas el martes #21Ago convocado por la Causa R, VP y Primero Justicia". La Patilla (in European Spanish). 2018-08-19. Retrieved 2018-08-19.
  52. ^ "¡Basta ya de engaños, queremos la pensión! El grito de los abuelos en toda Venezuela (FOTOS) - LaPatilla.com". La Patilla (in European Spanish). 1 September 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  53. ^ "PNB y GNB impiden marcha de trabajadores hasta Miraflores (video)". La Patilla (in European Spanish). 2018-11-28. Retrieved 2018-11-29.