The Battle for Venezuela, Through a Lens, Helmet and Gas Mask
Some are adorned with Venezuelan flags, cartoons of Mr. Maduro burning the Constitution
or phrases like “freedom, future, elections now!” and “I love you, mom.”
Members of La Resistencia are generally young and say they support neither the government nor the opposition politicians.
They sometimes plead with soldiers to join them, quoting Bolívar: “When tyranny makes law, rebellion is a right.”
Wuilly Arteaga, 23, a violinist who became a symbolic figure in the protests for playing
the national anthem at the front lines, cried when the police broke his violin.
I’ve come to know some of the regular protesters, like Tyler, 22, a former government supporter who has become adept at dodging rubber bullets
and buckshot behind a homemade shield painted blue, yellow and red to match the Venezuelan flag knotted around his neck.
“Things are already really ugly here, and we won’t take it anymore.”
Tyler joined La Resistencia — the ragtag street protesters who clash regularly with government security forces.
“If they don’t kill us here protesting, we will die either way — be killed for a cellphone or a pair of sneakers — or we will die of hunger, or die simply from catching any disease
because there is no medicine here,” said Marco, a graduate student.
O.S.” and “without medicine, they’re also killing us.”
When soldiers used tear gas on them, doctors in white lab coats locked arms — gagging with tears streaming — but refused to budge.
