Food Riots Embroil Collapsing Venezuela — 4 Killed, Hundreds Arrested

Food riots in Venezuela have caused four deaths and led to the arrest of up to 400 people in recent days, as the socialist South American nation continues to spiral toward societal collapse.

“We want food!” a mob chanted, blocking a major street less than two miles from the nation’s presidential palace, Reuters reported.

The country’s food shortage has forced citizens to forage for fruit off of trees and even eat dogs and cats, as Off The Grid News reported.

Social media reported that there were several deaths during riots in Cumana, the capital of the state of Sucre. Dozens of shops were looted, Reuters added.

Authorities in Cumana banned the use of motorcycles for 72 hours, an action that makes it harder for looters to get away from police.

Looting is taking place daily, the watchdog group Venezuelan Observatory of Violence reported.

Socialism in Action

A 17-year-old was killed when a mob attacked a Socialist Party office in the state of Merida. Many Venezuelans blame the Socialist party, and their leader President Nicolas Maduro, for the food shortages. Maduro, in turn, blames economic warfare waged by the United States for the problems.

Food is now being distributed by neighborhood committees controlled by the Socialist Party, AP reported. Maduro’s opponents believe the distribution is really an effort by the party to control the population.

“The looting is going to continue because there’s hunger,” Roberto Briceno Leon, director of the Venezuelan Observatory of Violence, said. “The government’s response appears to be insufficient or politicized, so people are resorting to robbery.”

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