Clashes erupt during student protest, security forces fire tear gas and water cannon

Clashes between opposition protesters and riot police once again filled the streets of Caracas with tear gas on Saturday.

Duelling pro-government and student-led opposition demonstrations were held in different parts of the capital.

In eastern Caracas, hundreds of university students protested to demand justice for two students killed during a demonstration on Wednesday, after protesters clashed with police and pro-government militia members.

During Wednesday's unrest, in addition to the two students, a pro-government militia member was also killed.

On Saturday, Venezuelan security forces used tear gas to clear the protesters from the main road through the capital.

The students responded by throwing rocks and other objects at police.

One protester at the scene said they would continue to protest until students detained in previous demonstrations were released.

"When they free all the students, the protests will stop," she said.

There were no reports of serious injuries at Saturday's protest.

Also on Saturday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro warned the so-called 'Bolivarian Revolution' would become "armed" if the country's elite tried to topple it.

State broadcaster VTV ran pictures of Maduro speaking from Miraflores Presidential Palace, referring to the opposition as "the oligarchy" and saying they would never gain power.

If they did, he said, it would be "the beginning of the end for the oligarchy and this peaceful, democratic revolution perhaps would take on another character, an armed one, deeply revolutionary."

"The world should know this. We're willing to do everything," said Maduro.

Earlier on Saturday, at a pro-government rally, Maduro said that a police manhunt was underway for Leopoldo Lopez, the hard-line opposition leader behind anti-government demonstrations that ended with three deaths on Wednesday.

Maduro said security forces acting on an arrest order issued on 12 February were now looking for Lopez, who hasn't been seen since a Wednesday night news conference in which he vowed that anti-government street protests would continue.

Venezuela's President didn't mention Lopez by name, referring to him only by a frequently-used disparaging nickname, The Throne, to denote what he considers the Harvard-trained politician's haughty political ambitions.

Maduro has also blamed the United States for the recent violent events in Venezuela calling it a plan to overthrow his government.

The US State Department has denied that it had any involvement in Venezuelan politics.


AP