Venezuelan government blames opposition for encouraging violence

Venezuelan authorities on Sunday accused opposition leaders of conspiring with radicals to stir up violence in the past four days. Interior and Justice Minister Miguel Rodriguez Torres said Governor of the State of Miranda Henrique Capriles, also an opposition leader, did not act to preserve public order and protect public and private property. He noted that the protesters destroyed pubic and private institutions, attacked subway workers and raided the headquarters of state channel Venezolana de Television on the last three nights in Miranda. All these acts had been performed "under the complicity of the Miranda governor," he said. Torres, while noting Capriles denied the accusation, said the governor did not fulfill his responsibility, adding if the governor is not capable of leading the police to ensure pubic safety and maintain order in his state, he should hand the responsibility over to national authorities. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro also condemned the violence on his Twitter account and accused opposition leaders of complicity by not acting to prevent the incidents. "When there is violence, the right-wing leaders do not take responsibility and always hide cowardly," Maduro said. Minister of Information and Communication Delcy Rodriguez highlighted media manipulation over the recent protests, saying there are many legal instruments to punish the acts that induced hatred, violence and deaths. The minister also accused wanted opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez and former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe of planning to destabilize the country and stir up a civil war. Authorities accused Lopez of murder and terrorism, saying he has connection with the violence that killed three and injured 70 in the past days. Thousands of protesters gathered in Chacao, an affluent part of eastern Caracas, demanding the ouster of Maduro and the release of demonstrators jailed earlier in the week. They also protested against economic woes, corruption and violent crimes. Capriles, who narrowly lost to Maduro last year, called on his supporters to continue the demonstration, but without violence. Maduro has said he will not allow the demonstrators to cause chaos by blocking roads. Troops fired teargas and water cannons to clear about 1,000 protesters who lit trash bonfires and threw stones in Chacao. The government and the opposition blamed each other for the bloodshed