Venezuela: Pro and anti-Maduro marches go ahead in Caracas
Education Minister Hector Rodriguez joins the march and waves a Venezuelan flag Supporters and opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro have taken to the streets of the capital, Caracas, in rival marches.
The demonstrations come at a time of growing political tension in Venezuela.
Three people were killed during anti-government protests on Wednesday, and 100 students were arrested.
Mr Maduro accused the opposition of stirring up trouble as part of a coup plot and urged his supporters to march for peace on Saturday.
The main opposition grievances are high inflation, crime and the shortage of some staples.
They have denounced police brutality and blamed pro-government groups, known as "colectivos", for the deaths on Wednesday.
But Venezuelan Prisons Minister Isis Valverde has described the "colectivos" as "pillars in the defence of the nation".
On Friday, students took to the streets again demanding the release of all the demonstrators arrested in the last week.
Mr Maduro called supporters to take part in a big demonstration "for peace and against fascism".
Government supporters began arriving Venezuela square, in central Caracas, in the morning.
They were dressed predominantly in red or in Venezuela's national colours - blue, yellow and red.
Opposition demonstrators call for peace during today's march in central Caracas "The Venezuelan youth believe in peace. Violence is not the way. This is the answer to coup plots," student Ifrain Bastardo told El Nacional newspaper.
Meanwhile, opposition demonstrators, including a movement known as Mothers in White, gathered at Las Mercedes neighbourhood in eastern Caracas.
They are planning to hold hands and make a human chain from the square to the Courts of Justice building.
Student leader Enrique Altimari said the peaceful protest was aimed at paying "tribute to the victims".
But he said the protest would end before night falls, to avoid a repeat of the incidents of Wednesday.
The three victims were shot dead by unknown gunmen as the opposition marches came to an end.
Maduro launched this week a plan to reduce crime in Venezuela "The streets at night are not a safe place for us. We would not be achieving any goal and would only fall in the trap set up by violent pro-government groups," Mr Altimari said.
Venezuela has one of the highest murder rates in the world and is deeply politically polarised.
Mr Maduro was elected last April by a narrow margin, defeating the centre-right candidate, Henrique Capriles, who denounced electoral fraud.
A former union leader, Mr Maduro was a close ally of late President Hugo Chavez who died of cancer in April after 14 years in office.
Mr Capriles blames the government's left-wing policies for the country's economic problems, including high inflation- 56.2% in 2013, according to official figures.
The government has blamed the shortages on "saboteurs" and "profit-hungry corrupt businessmen".
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