‘They All Deserve to Die’: Caracas Militants Vow to Take Up Arms
- Signs of initial stirrings of an urban guerrilla movement
- Mainstream opposition worries about dangers of ‘radical boys’
Why Venezuela's Many Crises Keep Getting Worse
This article is for subscribers only.
It was quiet in the dank basement in northwest Caracas, where dozens of young men and women sat on the floor and assembled their weapons. They poured asphalt, gasoline and paint into beer and pop bottles, tying knots in strips of fabric to fashion wicks.
Molotov cocktails are cheap and easy to make. Whether they’re doing the job is at the core of a bitter debate in Venezuela. After months of relentless demonstrations against President Nicolas Maduro, many militants are frustrated. The crew in the basement talked about it in hushed voices -- they didn’t want anyone in the middle-class neighborhood to find them out. It was clear, though, that many had reached their limit.