Supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro rode motorbikes in a convoy through Caracas on Monday to show their solidarity amid a wave of recent protests calling for his resignation.
Hundreds of bikers made their way toward the presidential palace for a rally attended by Maduro, who took over from President Hugo Chavez following his death last year from cancer.
"We will go out to battle with you when you tell us to, with brushes and brooms if we have to, and with our souls in our hands to say long live Chavez!" an unnamed supporter shouted, standing beside Maduro in pictures broadcast on Venezuelan state channel VTV.
The pro-government rally came as opposition protesters erected barricades across major thoroughfares on Monday, bringing traffic to a halt in parts of the Venezuelan capital in a continuation of the unrest that has roiled the country for nearly two weeks.
Since February 12, opponents of President Nicolas Maduro have been staging countrywide protests that the government says have resulted in at least 13 deaths and more than 130 injuries.
The demonstrators blame Maduro's administration for the country's high crime rate and economic troubles.
They say his socialist-inspired polices have led to shortages of basic goods and inflation above 50 percent, among the world's highest, despite the country's vast oil reserves.
Following the official line of his predecessor, Maduro has accused the United States of helping to orchestrate the opposition protests in a bid to weaken the country's socialist-inspired government.
"Venezuela is facing a fascist coup d'tat, continued imperial aggression, which wants to put an end to the revolution and democracy," he said, addressing supporters at the rally.
Maduro has called for a national peace conference this week to address the unrest.
