Despite the rising insecurity and lack of basic goods, some residents of 23 de enero, a working class neighbourhood of Caracas, still support late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez and his embattled heir, President Nicolas Maduro.
Tensions are rising in Venezuela, as opposition leader and self-proclaimed president Juan Guaido successfully returned to the country from a foreign trip earlier this week and called for new protests against Maduro’s regime.
A FRANCE 24 team went to 23 de enero, a working class neighbourhood located on a series of hills in northwestern Caracas, where residents still mourn Chavez six years after his death. They also consider Maduro as his legitimate heir.
Like many across Venezuela, this neighbourhood is home to Bolivarian militias, an army of volunteers founded by Chavez to fight against insurrection. In order to defend his ideals, they are willing “to take up arms, if it is necessary”.
