Thousands of workers from public companies took part in an anti-imperialist march in Caracas on March 18, TeleSUR English said that day. They demanded the US government retract its labelling of Venezuela as a “threat”.
Four days earlier, more than 100,000 Venezuelans mobilised throughout the country for a series of national military exercises in defence of their national sovereignty, Venezuelanalysis said on March 16.
Organised by the Ministry of Defence, the exercise comes in response to an executive order issued by the Obama administration branding Venezuela an “unusual and extraordinary threat” and sanctioning seven Venezuelan officials.
The exercise involved 20,000 civilian volunteers who joined about 80,000 soldiers of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces, Venezuelanalysis.com said.
Alongside active duty soldiers, members of the Bolivarian Militia took part. The militia was expanded to more than 35,000 members by then-president Hugo Chavez in 2010.
Venezuelanalysis.com said the Bolivarian Militia represents the foundation of a popular “civic-military alliance” that has kept the Bolivarian revolution in power amid repeated efforts to overthrow the government. These attempts include 2002 US-backed coup that briefly unseated Chavez before an uprising of the poor and most of the military restored the elected president.
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