CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) – Protesters set late President Hugo Chavez’s childhood home in western Venezuela on fire Monday afternoon, an opposition lawmaker said, as protests against the nation’s socialist government grew increasingly hostile.
Demonstrators lit the house in the city of Barinas where Chavez spent his early years aflame along with several government buildings, including the regional office of the National Electoral Council, said Pedro Luis Castillo, a legislator who represents the area.
The burnings capped a violent day in Barinas – known as the cradle of Chavez’s socialist revolution – during which protesters clashed with national guardsmen, businesses were shuttered and roads were blocked with fire-filled barricades.
Nineteen-year-old Yorman Bervecia was shot and killed during a protest, according to the nation’s chief prosecutor. His death brings to at least 49 the number killed in nearly two months of anti-government protests demanding new elections.
While protesters are decrying current President Nicolas Maduro for the nation’s triple-digit inflation, food shortages and rising crime, demonstrators have also destroyed at least five statues commemorating Chavez, in addition to the childhood home.