On Friday, two Chavez supporters were killed at a rally attended by thousands of opposition protesters. On Saturday, gunmen, said to be aligned with Chavez, fired into a crowd at a local police station, wounding two officers. Officials said the men who fired had attended a wake for Oscar Gomez Aponte, 24, one of the victims from Friday's violence. Officers returned fire using rubber bullets and tear gas, Police Chief Henry Vivas said. There were no immediate arrests. The call for a tax boycott is among the opposition's plans to increase pressure on the government to resolve a 35-day national strike that was called to force Chávez to resign or call for early elections. Surprised at the duration of the strike, organizers are looking for new ways to increase the financial pressure on Chávez's government, already suffering losses of about $40 million a day.***
'BURNED OUR BOATS' "We have burned our boats. There is no turning back. We will carry on consolidating and deepening this Revolution," Chavez said. He brandished a small crucifix and a copy of the constitution that have become trademark props of his speeches. The outspoken president also vowed the authorities would seek out and punish the killers of two of his supporters who were shot Friday during chaotic clashes between pro- and anti-government demonstrators and troops and police.
Both sides blame each other for the deaths but Chavez singled out for accusation police officers serving one of his fiercest enemies, Caracas metropolitan mayor Alfredo Pena. Despite his tough words, he stopped short of declaring a state of emergency, as had been widely expected by opponents. For their part, opposition leaders said they would keep up the pressure against the president, who was elected in 1998 and survived a coup by rebel generals and admirals in April. "The people of Venezuela are out in the streets demanding Chavez's resignation. And they will not leave the streets," anti-Chavez union leader Alfredo Ramos said. Despite the violence surrounding Friday's big anti-Chavez march to armed forces headquarters in Caracas, opposition leaders planned fresh protests in the city, including a possible march to the heavily guarded presidential palace.
The deeply polarized positions, combined with mutual anger over the recent clashes and deaths, have increased fears of fresh violence. "We are on the brink of madness and we need to take a step backwards," Foreign Minister Roy Chaderton told reporters. Opposition spokesmen said they would disobey and defy any emergency measures introduced by the government. Chavez said last week he would call a state of emergency if necessary. ***