A Death in Protests against President Maduro's Government Increases Tensions in Venezuela

Thousands of protesters of President Nicolás Maduro's government took to the streets of Venezuela's main cities, protesting the high cost of living, shortages and exorbitant insecurity levels; at least one person died, five more were injured by gunfire and immeasurable disturbances were the consequences.

Venezuela's capital, Caracas, and the country's most populated cities saw the largest amount of sympathizers of the opposition who demand that Maduro's government immediately release dozens of people incarcerated in recent weeks because they expressed their inconformity and disagreement with repressive policies.

Venezuela has seen the rise of numerous protests that in last weeks have been headed by the opposition, led mainly by Leopoldo López, Deputy María Corina Machado and the Mayor of Caracas, Antonio Ledezma. Thousands of Venezuelans complain about Maduro due to the economic crisis, shortages, high levels of insecurity and restrictive monetary policies.

However, according to Reuters, to celebrate the Day of Youth, Maduro's followers have also taken to the streets of Caracas to peacefully protest in favor of the government.

Nicolás Maduro has threatened the opposition, saying that he would apply the law and the Constitution with severity against those that "seek to damage Venezuela", but the protesters, most of them students, have said that as the government applies more pressure, there will be more protests on the streets of Venezuela.

The wave of protests on Wednesday left at least one person dead in Caracas, and was declared the worst day of protests since they began in April 2013 against the Presidential elections that elected Nicolás Maduro.

Under the slogan "La Salida" ("The Exit") referring to Maduro's exit, opposing groups faced the police who countered the protests with tear gas and shots.

The leader of the National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, quoted by Reuters, said that the man killed during the protests was a government ally, blaming the protesters for his death. Diosdado added that the victim's dead happened at the end of the protests against the government. "He's a colleague murdered by the right-wing fascist hordes."