There’s no denying that the turnout for our anti-Zuma marches were pretty impressive, even if some of the signs and songs were rather average.

Folks lined the streets, held hands, told Zuma his ma se p**s – you know the drill.

We can’t really hold a candle to what’s been going on over in Venezuela, though, in what has been dubbed the ‘mother of all protests’.

[Side note – Kade Guerreiro might disagree, given the violence he suffered]

BusinessInsider says that as of yesterday five people have already been killed, adding that a further three died today in more violent clashes:

Some people have been struck by gunfire from police, and at least one officer is facing charges over a death. Others were allegedly shot by government supporters…

“President Maduro has called his supporters to march in some of the same places that the opposition had already targeted their supporters,” David Smilde, a senior fellow at the Washington Office on Latin America, said on Wednesday. “Maduro also called in a military plan, so there’s military in the streets in Caracas.”

Their images show just how militarised and violent those streets have become:

Some more damning insight:

“The country is in a state of constitutional impasse and institutional paralysis,” said Julia Buxton, a professor at Central European University. “Neither the government nor the opposition want to be seen conceding ground, both lack a broad popular mandate … and they have locked the country into a destructive zero-sum game.”

Good luck, Venezuela, and here’s hoping our protests never reach a similar level of violence.

[source:businessinsider]