Venezuela: Molotov cocktails fly in Caracas as violent protests continue

Anti-government protesters barricaded the Francisco Fajardo highway in east Caracas with trucks on Saturday, as clashes broke out again in the Venezuelan capital.

Demonstrators covered their faces and set fire to several vehicles crossing the highway. Protesters threw Molotov cocktails at National Guard personnel and police, who responded with rubber bullets and tear gas.

The protest, marking ten years since television station RCTV was shut down, was one of a string of demonstrations calling on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to step down from office.

RCTV went off the air after the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, under former President Hugo Chavez, refused to renew the media group’s broadcasting license due to its alleged support for the 2002 coup against Chavez’s government.

Protests have persisted in the capital for months, with Maduro convening a National Constituent Assembly to rewrite the constitution and address growing political unrest. However, the Venezuelan opposition has called the plan "fraudulent" and has refused to participate, calling instead for early elections.