Officials from Venezuela’s Bolivarian National Police (PNB) on Thursday blocked a peaceful protest that attempted to march towards the Miraflores presidential palace to demand higher wages and pensions from the Venezuelan socialist regime.
The police repressed and dispersed the protest using tear gas and riot control tactics, leaving several injured. The nation’s main local press workers union denounced that officers assaulted several journalists covering the protest, robbing them of their equipment and belongings.
Thursday’s protest was organized by Venezuelan unions, students, and opposition groups across several of the nation’s main cities. In Caracas’ peaceful protest, reportedly made up by a group of about 2,000 individuals ranging from workers, union representatives, students, and professional associations, intended to march towards the Miraflores palace to demand better wages from “acting President” Delcy Rodríguez — at a time when the Venezuelan minimum wage has not been raised since 2022. The current amount, 130 bolivars, is only equivalent to $0.27 per hour at official exchange rates.
The Venezuelan regime “compliments” the low monthly wages with stipend bonuses handled through its Fatherland platform, largely inspired by China’s social credit system, which, on average, amounts to $150 per month in local currency.
“Enough with the deception, enough with the wage hikes. They want to pass off an increase in government subsidies as a wage increase. That’s completely outrageous,” Mauricio Ramos, a retiree who was at the protest, reportedly said.
The Argentine outlet Infobae explained that the already tense situation aggravated when the protesters attempted to march in the vicinity of Urdaneta Avenue, where the Venezuelan presidential palace is located. Police officers responded to the protester’s attempts by blocking the passage and using tear gas to halt their advance.
Footage of the protest published by local outlets and opposition parties showed that, in some instances, the protesters were able to breach the police blockade and continue their march through the streets of Caracas.
Infobae noted that there were reports of roadblocks and a heavy presence of riot police and armored vehicles in downtown Caracas to hinder reporting of the events. The regime’s law enforcement officials not only acted against the protesters but also against journalists and photographers. The Venezuelan National Press Workers’ Union (SNTP) denounced that at least ten journalists and media workers covering the protest were beaten with riot shields, pepper-sprayed, their reporting equipment such as phones or microphones destroyed, and some of their personal belongings damages or stolen by PNB officials — with the understanding that the ten known cases “were not the only ones.”
“We demand an immediate end to attacks against the press and an investigation leading to sanctions against the responsible officials. The State is obligated to guarantee conditions for the practice of journalism,” SNTP said.
“To support this complaint, we have preserved photos, videos, names, and testimonies from the victims which provide evidence of deliberate action against identified journalists,” the group continued.
Thursday’s protest is reportedly the fourth such event in 2026 in which participants have marched to demand better wages from the Venezuelan regime, and the first in the year that has seen individuals attempt to reach Miraflores.
The protest occurred hours after “acting President” Delcy Rodríguez, in a mandatory Wednesday evening broadcast, announced that the Venezuelan regime will increase the nation’s minimum wage after four years on May 1 — “International Workers’ Day” or “May Day,” a holiday celebrating the murderous ideology of communism that the ruling socialists have historically used to announce minimum wage raises.
Rodríguez, however, has not yet disclosed the extent of the upcoming raise, only saying that the increase will be backed by revenue from windfall fuel sales channeled through a sovereign wealth fund. Most notably, the “acting President” acknowledged that the Venezuelan socialist regime committed “errors in the past” that led to the nation’s unprecedented hyperinflation spiral and exodus of millions of Venezuelans over the past decade.
“She [Rodríguez] spoke of a fair wage. We all know there’s a raise coming on May 1. Did she really have to issue a statement just to say that? You’re the one who has to pay all the workers,” José Patines, a member of a local trade union coalition, reportedly said.
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