Opponents of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez today accused the him of promoting political violence after opposition marches in several cities were attacked by government supporters.
"It is the leader of the country who is provoking this violence," said Mr Carlos Ortega, president of the Confederation of Venezuelan Workers, the nation's biggest trade union.
"If we live in democracy, why don't you allow the public to march peacefully?" he demanded.
Government supporters attacked anti-Chavez marchers in the capital, Caracas, and at oil facilities around the crisis-stricken South American country.
Mr Chavez, a left-wing former paratrooper who was elected in 1998 and re-elected two years later, denies he is increasing violence. But his opponents claim the president's rhetoric incites violent reactions from his most radical backers.
The latest unrest came as thousands of Venezuelan bank workers stayed home to support a nationwide strike seeking new presidential elections.
The strike that began on December 2nd has closed thousands of businesses and brought Venezuela's oil industry - once the world's fifth-largest exporter - to a near halt.
AP