Hundreds of thousands took to the streets of Caracas yesterday in solidarity with President Nicolas Maduro and defending the legacy of Hugo Chavez and the Bolivarian Revolution.

They were marking the 30th anniversary of the 1989 Caracazo uprising when thousands of Venezuelans “broke the chains of imperialism.”

Thousands poured out from the barrios onto the streets of the capital and the nearby city of Guarenas in protest at rising prices of basic goods.

It was met with violent oppression and the crackdown by Venezuelan security services left at least 3,600 dead, according to head of the Constituent Assembly Diosade Cabello who addressed the rally.

“When the number of dead reached 3,600 they stopped counting. They gathered up the bodies in the streets with heavy machines. Then they gathered them up and put them in trucks,” he said.

“And where were the human rights? Who in the world worried about that? Nobody,” he added as he explained how those currently pushing for regime change in Venezuela were silent when “children were pierced by rifle fire.”

The Caracazo uprising is seen as the start of the process that led to the 1999 election of Hugo Chavez and the beginning of the Bolivarian Revolution which changed the lives of millions of Venezuelans, lifting them out of poverty and bringing them access to free healthcare and education.

Miguel Herrera from the Unitary Federation of Petroleum and Gas Workers told the Star: “We are defending the Bolivarian Revolution and the legacy of Hugo Chavez. This demonstration is an important part of our tradition and our history.

“Many, many people had their lives improved because of this and we cannot lose this… we thank you for your support of Venezuela. It means so much to us.”