Venezuelan media complains of ‘Turkish manipulation’

ISTANBUL

Pro-government media in Venezuela have complained that the opposition in the Latin American country was manipulating public opinion by using images of the protests in Turkey.

“HAKEADO,” a Venezuelan Twitter user, posted a photo of the police intervention during the protests in Istanbul on March 12 with a misleading caption: “This is neither Syria nor Ukraine! This is Venezuela! The people are resisting against the fascist regime of Maduro.”

Pro-government media reacted after other accounts with thousands of followers retweeted the misleading message. News website Aporrea.org said opposition figures were “trying to deceive” via social media and published the link of a video showing that the police intervention took place in Istanbul’s Osmanbey neighborhood, not Venezuela.