'They have gas, we have excrement' - Venezuela protesters use bombs of faeces in opposition demonstrations

Protestors in Venezuela are adopting a messy new tactic to voice their ongoing opposition to president Nicolás Maduro.

The new tactic has been named ‘poopootov’ – and involves throwing pots of faeces at security forces.

The name is a play on the Molotov Cocktail, a homemade bomb, that has been used regularly during recent street protests in Venezuela. Last week, an opposition demonstrator was accidentally set on fire by one of the devices in Caracas.

MORE: Cases of malaria surge 76% and infant mortality spikes amid national crisis in Venezuela

An image that is being shared among protesters on social media reads: ‘They have gas, we have excrement’, and encourages people to take part in a ‘Sh*t March’ today

A 51-year-old dentist who was preparing containers of faeces told Reuters News Agency: ‘The kids go out with just stones. That’s their weapon. Now they have another weapon: excrement.

‘One of my patients is collecting excrement from her child.’

Messages have been widely shared on Venezuelan WhatsApp groups providing detailed instructions on how to make the missiles.

The messages encourage protestors to use plastic rather than glass containers, as the ‘poopootovs’ are intended to humiliate rather than injure the police and military.

But not all opposition sympathisers are in favour of the plan, noting that throwing animal and human faces could cause the spread of infectious diseases – an issue that is at troublingly high levels thanks to a lack of medicine and basic sanitation in Venezuela.

The country is currently undergoing a major crisis, marred by triple-digit inflation, food shortages and difficulty accessing medicines.

Protests have raged for weeks, with people taking to the streets to demonstrate against president Nicolás Maduro and his government.

At least 38 people have died in the protests so far.