Venezuelan rightwingers made life a misery for their compatriots yesterday, erecting fresh barricades across the country.

The opposition activists, backed by US and Colombian cash, brought traffic to a standstill on major roads in Caracas and in provincial cities Maracaibo and Valencia.

But supporters of the Bolivarian revolution went out on the streets themselves to stop the wealthy protesters.

The ruling PSUV party said that “revolutionary motorised forces” had mobilised to “say Yes to peace and life.”

Motorcyclist and messenger Henry Marron from Petare said he joined the mobilisation because he was “tired” of not being able to work.

Violent opposition forces “violate our right to free movement and our right to work,” he added.

Foreign Minister Elias Jaua condemned opposition leader Henrique Capriles yesterday for ordering protests in Miranda state, which Mr Capriles governs.

Mr Jaua, who narrowly lost the gubernatorial elections in 2012, said the rightwinger was failing his duty to uphold law and order.

Mr Capriles, who has been the right wing’s unsuccessful presidential candidate the last two times out, appears to be losing his status as main opposition leader to the jailed Leopoldo Lopez, who represents a more hard-line string of the counter-revolutionary forces.

“While the vast majority of the country is calm, in municipalities governed by (opposition parties) Justice First and Popular Will, families suffer the fascist horror,” said Mr Jaua.

The opposition roadblocks set up during the nearly two weeks of opposition protests aiming to oust elected President Nicolas Maduro have proved deadly.

Activists have killed at least two motorcyclists by stretching barbed wire across roads at night.

The government issued an arrest warrant for former general Angel Vivas for allegedly inciting supporters to set up the booby traps.

But when police went to his house on Sunday night he rallied his wealthy neighbours to prevent his arrest, defiantly telling them: “I’m not going to surrender,” while wielding an assault rifle and hand gun from his balcony.

Mr Vivas rose to prominence in 2007 when he resigned as head of the Defence Ministry’s engineering department rather than force his soldiers to swear the “fatherland, socialism or death” oath.