article_snippet: Chanting 'socialist motherland' and branding the U.S. 'imperialist', 80,000 military staff and 20,000 civilians took the streets of the capital Caracas for anti-American protests on Saturday afternoon.
article_snippet: Critics of the U.S. government have called the move a power grab.
article_snippet: U.S. is targeting officials in the top echelon of Venezuela's security apparatus responsible for cracking down on last year's anti-government protests and for pursuing charges against opponents.
article_snippet: Venezuelan officials accused of human rights violations will be denied U.S. visas and have U.S. visas U.S. assets frozen.
article_snippet: The leaders of South America's leftist governments have come out in support of Venezuela, while Washington has denied Maduro's claim that Washington is seeking to undermine Maduro and urged Maduro to focus on Venezuela's domestic problems, including food shortages and soaring inflation.
article_snippet: He said Venezuela had used the announcement to 'trumpet up support' for the U.S. government by reacting in 'an exaggerated, almost dramatic' manner.
article_snippet: Maduro has previously claimed that the United States, which remains Venezuela's largest cash-generating oil export market, has backed attempts to remove Maduro from power.
article_snippet: In 2002 a coup that had the tacit support of America briefly ousted the late Hugo Chávez - Maduro's charismatic mentor and presidential predecessor.
highlights_snippet: Called Venezuela a 'socialist motherland' and chanted anti-US slogans .
  