A violent mob that is thought to have connections to President Maduro's increasingly despotic regime burst into the Congress of Venezuela yesterday, and brutally attacked members of opposition parties. The attack was carried out on the day when national independence is celebrated in Venezuela, and left a number of lawmakers badly injured.
The political situation in the South American country is growing more dire by the day, with many people calling for the immediate removal of President Maduro from power. The situation in Caracas has become untenable, and daily acts of violence are commonplace.
Social breakdown
As the Venezuelan state falls apart, acts of Vigilante Justice are becoming common. Because there is no police protection to speak of, violent acts of retribution have become the way neighborhoods deal with suspected criminals.
The recent case of Roberto Bernal, who was 42 at the time of his extrajudicial killing, illustrates the rising threat of mob violence.
While standing on a street in Caracas, Mr. Bernal was confronted by an angry mob, who felt that he had committed some sort of crime. They discovered around $5 dollars worth of local currency in his pocket, and gave him a savage beating with makeshift weapons. He was then covered in gasoline, and left to burn to death.
In 2016 there were just two cases of vigilante justice reported, and in 2017 more than seventy have been reported so far.
Venezuelans are said to be tired of dangerous streets, and criminals who can operate with impunity. Their solution is barbaric at best, but the trend towards a mob mentality seems to be growing.
Wild opposition
The legislative branch of the Venezuelan government was stripped of their power long before Maduro's thugs stormed the congress yesterday, but some members of the Venezuelan community aren't laying down to his brutal tactics.
An enigmatic man named Oscar Pérez has taken the fight to President Maduro's regime, and there are many questions that surround both his identity and affiliations. He is thought to be a rogue police officer, and he recently participated in a grenade attack on the Supreme Court of Venezuela.
He used an apparently stolen helicopter to pelt the Supreme Court with explosives, and then scuttled the aircraft on the Caribbean coast.
According to leaked videos, he has returned to Caracas, where he has stated that his antagonism towards Maduro will continue.
Mr. Pérez has invoked Article 350 of the Venezuelan Constitution, which states that the Venezuelan people have the duty to, “disown any regime, legislation or authority that runs counter to democratic principles and guarantees, or that undermines human rights.”
His application of this law is not accepted by President Maduro and Mr. Pérez is currently operating outside of the loose legal framework that Venezuela currently has. What Mr. Pérez is planning next is anyone's guess, but given his flair for the dramatic, it should obvious once it gets underway.
