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AFP
CARACAS
VENEZUELANS marched in silence Saturday against President Nicolas Maduro, a test of his government's tolerance for peaceful protests after three weeks of violent unrest that has left 20 people dead.
Dressed in white, protesters marched to the Catholic Church's episcopal seats nationwide in a quiet show of condemnation of the leftist leader's government.
In Caracas, the police and national guard were out in force along major roads and around the headquarters of the conference of bishops.
"I'm sure they'll meet us with the usual (tear) gas, which is how they preach peace,"said 71-year-old protester Hector Urbina.
The center-right oppn accuses the govt of repressing peaceful protests and sending armed thugs to attack them.
It blames Maduro for the unraveling of oil giant Venezuela's once-booming economy, which has left the country mired in shortages of food, medicine and basic goods.
Some protesters silently prayed, others carried Christian-themed banners or images.
"I'm not afraid,"said protester Jessica Muchacho, 33.
"We've got nothing left to lose. The government's already taken everything, all possibility of living our lives with dignity."
The opposition plans to return to a more confrontational strategy on Monday, when it is calling for Venezuelans to block roads in a bid to grind the country to a halt.
That is the sort of protest that has repeatedly descended into violent unrest all month, as police fire tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon to break up demonstrators, who fight back with stones and Molotov cocktails.
