When a leader is not able to inspire in the same way his predecessor did, it’s difficult to keep the masses under control – which is exactly what is happening in Venezuela.

Remember what we showed you back in April HERE? Yeah, things have not calmed down.

Yesterday, after a string of mass protests against the country’s current political and economic crisis, the Supreme Court was attacked by grenades dropped from a stolen helicopter.

President Nicolás Maduro, who was sworn in after Hugo Chavez died in 2013, called it a “terrorist attack,” reports BBC.

A variety of footage on social media shows the helicopter circling over the capital city Caracas, before shots and a loud bang can be heard.

Check it:

https://twitter.com/pulpmarkets/status/879888886121586689

The helicopter is said to have been stolen by a police officer known as Oscar Perez, who released a series of videos on Instagram of all places, denouncing the “criminal government”.

So why the Supreme Court? Well, it is “regularly criticised by the Venezuelan opposition for its rulings which bolster Mr. Maduro’s hold on power”:

A series of events has further heightened tensions between the government and the opposition and led to renewed street protests.

Key was the surprise announcement by the Supreme Court on 29 March that it was taking over the powers of the opposition-controlled National Assembly.

The opposition said that the ruling undermined the country’s separation of powers and took Venezuela a step closer to one-man rule under President Nicolas Maduro.

The court argued that the National Assembly had disregarded previous Supreme Court rulings and was therefore in contempt.

While the Supreme Court reversed its ruling just three days later, distrust of the court did not subside.

In an address from the presidential palace, President Maduro said:

[T]he helicopter had flown over the Supreme Court and also the justice and interior ministries.

Officials quoted by Reuters news agency said four grenades were dropped on the court and 15 shots had been fired at the interior ministry.

No injuries were reported but Mr Maduro said “a social event” had been taking place at the Supreme Court and the attack could have caused “dozens of deaths”. One of the grenades failed to detonate, he added.

Supporters of the opposition party have four key demands:

• Removal from office of the Supreme Court justices who issued the 29 March ruling
• General elections in 2017
• Creation of a “humanitarian channel” to allow medication to be imported to counter the severe shortages in Venezuela
• Release of all the “political prisoners”

Until those are met, we can be assured that the violence in Venezuela is only going to get worse, especially if Perez has anything to do with it.

You can read all about the crisis here.

[source:bbc&bbc]