BBC Homepage
  • Skip to content
  • Accessibility Help
  • Your account
  • Notifications
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • More menu
More menu
Search BBC
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
Close menu
BBC News
Menu
  • Home
  • InDepth
  • Israel-Gaza war
  • War in Ukraine
  • Climate
  • UK
  • World
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Culture
More
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Health
  • Family & Education
  • In Pictures
  • Newsbeat
  • BBC Verify
  • Disability
  • Trending

How videos of supermarket raids show what life is like in Venezuela

  • Published
    13 July 2015
Share page
About sharing
Videos such as this one, claiming to show looters ransacking a supermarket, are being widely shared in VenezuelaImage source, YouTube
Image caption,

Videos such as this one, claiming to show looters ransacking a supermarket, are being widely shared in Venezuela

BBC Trending
What's popular and why

Every week at least one video showing people looting either a supermarket or a lorry full of food is shared online by Venezuelans. Some of them get thousands views of and some just a few hundred, but they are highlighting food shortages in the country.

With a collapsing currency and the highest inflation rate in the world, shortages of basic products have become the norm in Venezuela over the last few years. The situation reached crisis point earlier this year when thousands posted pictures online of empty shelves - and now it seems to be getting even worse.

Videos like the one shown in the still image above are being shared on Whatsapp, YouTube or Facebook. Some of them are picked up by media opposed to the Venezuelan government or sent directly to anti-government sites. "Definitely, there has been an increase in these kind of videos," one of the people behind the anti-government website Dolar Today, external told BBC Trending. "Every week, we get between five and 10."

The problem is that it's very difficult to verify the origin, date and place of these videos. "Without a doubt, there is a chance that they might be false, or out of date. But the vast majority of the cases are real," said the Dolar Today spokesperson, who asked to remain anonymous for his own safety. "We are very careful not to publish things that are not real. Sometimes we speak to the person who sends us the video, but for others we don't think that's necessary."

looting photoImage source, Sol De Margarita YouTube

But why are Venezuelans sharing these images? One reason might be the current mindset in the country. According to polling firm Datanalisis, Venezuelans consider food shortages to be the biggest problem facing the country, external, followed by inflation and crime. "The people, mainly middle and lower class people, have to queue for hours almost every day for food and other basic products such as detergent, oil, toilet paper," public opinion expert Marcelino Bisbal says.

Another reason - suggests media researcher Andres Cañizares - is the lack of reliable information from both the Venezuelan government and opposition media in a highly polarised country. "This drives lots of people to share things that they think have journalistic value, as there isn't one single media outlet in Venezuela that can tell us what's actually happening," he says.

Translation: "HELPING? Looting for hunger in Venezuela."Image source, Twitter / @aeggatite
Image caption,

Translation: "HELPING? Looting for hunger in Venezuela."

"I post these images so I can show those who are pro-government the reality of our country," said Twitter user @aeggatite, external, who tweeted the above picture. Others echoed those sentiments. "I'm Venezuelan and it hurts to see what's happening in my country and to see how local media don't report these kinds of events," commented user @negritaVALIEN, external.

However, there's a big risk - spreading information that turns out to be false. "These messages can fuel uncertainty at a moment when people feel anxious about shortages," said Cañizares.

"This is highly dangerous in a country where the government policy is not to say a word about this, as if it's not happening," added Bisbal.

BBC Trending asked the Venezuelan government for comment, but received no reply. However, in the past it has claimed that these types of images posted on social media are part of a campaign against President Nicolas Maduro orchestrated by private companies and foreign governments.

Reporting by BBC Mundo's Gabriela Torres, external

Next story: Should domestic abusers be shamed online?

A still from the viral video by Emma Murphy in which she details allegations of abuse against her former partnerImage source, Emma Murphy / Facebook

A shocking video by a woman with a black eye went viral this week - but is taking to social media with abuse allegations always the right thing to do? READ MORE

You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending, external, and find us on Facebook, external. All our stories are at bbc.com/trending.

Top stories

  • Live. 

    Trump's talks with Putin will achieve nothing without Ukraine, Zelensky says

    • 6701 viewing6.7k viewing
  • Israel rejects international criticism of Gaza City takeover plan

    • Published
      15 hours ago
  • 'People are angry': Behind the wave of asylum hotel protests

    • Published
      12 hours ago

More to explore

  • Prince Andrew book seals his fate for any return

    Prince Andrew, head and shoulders, April 2025
  • 'People are angry': Behind the wave of asylum hotel protests

    A man holds a flare during a protest outside The Bell Hotel on July 31, 2025 in Epping, England.
  • Navigating hook-up culture: 'On Grindr you're an object, like picking clothes online'

    Lewis looking at camera
  • Faith, family and fishing - the unlikely bond between JD Vance and David Lammy

    Foreign Secretary David Lammy fishing with US vice president JD Vance at Chevening House in Kent. Both men are wearing blue shirts, JD Vance is in jeans and Lammy is in beige chinos.
  • Beloved by bands and bank robbers, the Ford Transit turns 60

    BBC business correspondent Theo Leggett sits with one hand on the wheel of a stationary yellow Ford Transit - the oldest one still in existence, which was built in 1965. On its side are the words GEC-Elliott Traffic Automation Ltd. He is smiling wearing a cap and a blue shirt and jacket and light grey trousers.
  • 'An escape from feeling lonely': The Seoul 'convenience stores' fighting isolation

    A lively and colorful pedestrian street in Seoul, filled with vibrant crosswalk designs, unique shops, and bustling activity. A woman stands in the middle of a zebra crossing in a winter jacket carrying the sign 'escape room, half price'
  • I made an AI clone of my dead son - and let a journalist interview him

    Image showing Joaquin Oliver in a beenie hat will the sea and sun behind him, with a blue border and the BBC Verify logo in the top left corner
  • Nasa Apollo missions: Stories of the last Moon men

    Harrison Schmitt is photographed next to the United States flag on the lunar surface during the Apollo 17 mission. The highest part of the flag appears to point toward our planet Earth in the distant background. Its red and white stripes are also reflected in the visor of Schmitt's helmet.
  • Summer Essential: Your family’s guide to the summer, delivered to your inbox every Tuesday

    concentric circles ranging from orange to yellow to represent the sun, with a blue sky background
loading elsewhere stories

Most read

  1. 1

    Prince Andrew book seals his fate for any return

  2. 2

    'People are angry': Behind the wave of asylum hotel protests

  3. 3

    Elon Musk's AI accused of making explicit AI Taylor Swift videos

  4. 4

    Faith, family and fishing - the unlikely bond between JD Vance and David Lammy

  5. 5

    'Are we not working class enough?' Students divided on civil service internship reform

  6. 6

    'JD Vance sends warning to UK' and 'Scam by me'

  7. 7

    Is super skinny back? UK sees rise in complaints over thin models in adverts

  8. 8

    Woman dies after lifeboat rescues her from sea

  9. 9

    Funeral appeal for boy hit by bus reaches £6,000

  10. 10

    Israel rejects international criticism of Gaza City takeover plan

BBC News Services

  • On your mobile
  • On smart speakers
  • Get news alerts
  • Contact BBC News

Best of the BBC

  • Your latest reality TV obsession has landed on iPlayer

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Destination X
  • Jacob Elordi stars in explosive war drama

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    The Narrow Road to the Deep North
  • Inside the front-line fight against cybercriminals

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Panorama: Fighting Cyber Criminals
  • A rare glimpse into the world of rope access

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Our Lives: High Stakes
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • Terms of Use
  • About the BBC
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies
  • Accessibility Help
  • Parental Guidance
  • Contact the BBC
  • Make an editorial complaint
  • BBC emails for you

Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.