A Violinist Plays Amid The Violence

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

Amid the violent reaction of the Venezuelan Government to opposition protests, in which several people have lost their lives, the image of a protester playing the violin amid the smoke of tear gas has captivated the networks.

A video captured the incredible scene of the young man, whose pulse is not shaking, playing the stringed instrument as protesters crowd around the José Martí Plaza in Caracas.

The sound of his notes prevails over those of the activations of the tear gas bombs and the verbal insults of both sides. Likewise, amidst the clouds of smoke, the musician appears impassive. He has a helmet on his head, bare torso and on his shoulder, that musical instrument that does not stop sounding despite the chaos.

According to CNN, the young man would be around 20 years old and seemed to have his full attention on music, while around him they threw Molotov cocktails at government forces.

The images were captured by Iván Ernesto Reyes, a journalist from Efecto Cocuyo, a Venezuelan independent media outlet. “Today I saw a true display of magical realism. A protester played his violin while the PNB launched tear gas and pellets, the informant wrote in a tweet.

Venezuela lives in a state of chaos since more than a month ago the Supreme Court of Justice issued a ruling in which it emptied the opposition-controlled National Assembly of powers.

Since then, opposition marches have taken place to derive what they consider to be the authoritarian drift of the Bolivarian regime led by President Nicolás Maduro. At least 36 people have died and, according to authorities, another 750 have been injured in clashes with the security forces or in parallel acts of vandalism.