May Day marches in Caracas and other cities were generally peaceful, with both the government and opposition taking pains to avoid confrontation.  Tens of thousands of opposition backers rallied in upscale eastern Caracas, while government supporters marched downtown.  Tensions over the disputed 14 April presidential election remain high, however, with further marches likely in coming weeks.  They should be given the widest possible berth.

Americans should be especially circumspect, since President Nicolas Maduro has been rallying his base by stoking anti-American sentiment.  The tactic is straight from the playbook of his mentor and predecessor as president, the late Hugo Chavez.

The federal prosecutor’s office on 24 April arrested US filmmaker Timothy Tracey, 35, and charged him with paying political groups to foment post-election unrest.  The arrest took place at Simon Bolivar International Airport as Tracey was departing the country.  The American also was charged with conspiracy and the use of a false document, and is being held in jail.  The US Embassy has declared that Tracey, who has produced films for the Discovery Channel and the History Channel, is innocent of the charges against him.