About 10,000 demonstrators took to the streets of Caracas in Venezuela last Thursday (20 May) to protest against the country's high cost of living and alleged police brutality. Most of the marchers belonged to the Social Christian Party (COPEI).

The brutality charges arose from an incident two weeks before when police broke up a smaller demonstration by party members in the Parque Carabobo section of the city.

Armed with banners and chanting slogans the crowd charged the Venezuelan government with trying to restrict constitutional Liberties with the use of force. They also accused the government of failing to halt inflation and pointed out that it had promised to improve the country's economy as part of its 1973 election campaign platform.

Although the demonstration was rowdy and shopkeepers along the route barricaded their windows in case of trouble, there was no violence and only a few police were on duty in the vicinity.