Pot-banging protesters insult Venezuela leader during visit

CARACAS, Venezuela – President Nicolas Maduro reportedly has been greeted by a mob of angry pot-banging protesters during a visit to Margarita Island.

Grainy cellphone videos said to be of the Friday night encounter have been picked up by Venezuelan news sites and are trending on social media. Maduro is seen jogging through a crowd as residents loudly bang on pots and hurl obscenities.

Maduro’s visit to Margarita Island earlier that evening was broadcast nationwide. Images of the protest were later posted by residents of the town where it reportedly occurred.

There was no immediate government reaction. The opposition says the protest shows widespread rebuke for the socialist leader during economic crisis.

Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans poured into the capital’s streets Thursday to demand authorities allow a recall referendum against Maduro.

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