Washington, May 9 (RHC)-- In the U.S. capital, clashes ensued Wednesday evening at the Venezuelan Embassy between representatives of the international NGO Code Pink who have barricaded themselves in the embassy and supporters of the right-wing Venezuelan opposition outside.

Opposition groups prevented basic commodities such as food from entering the embassy on Wednesday, May 8th.   Members of the Embassy Protection Collective threw a backpack from a window to be filled with food from the outside, but the opposition intercepted it.  It was later recovered after scuffles between opposition members and the police, according to teleSUR correspondent Alina Duarte.

Electricity was also cut off at the Venezuelan embassy and it was not clear who was behind the power outage but activists inside the embassy blamed it on U.S. authorities. Carlos Vecchio, the envoy to the U.S. of opposition lawmaker and self-proclaimed "interim president" of Venezuela Juan Guaido, described this as "a small victory."

Vecchio also said he has already taken necessary measures, or correspondences, to ensure the members of the international NGO Code Pink evacuate the building.

The Embassy Protection Collective is on Venezuelan territory because the Venezuelan government authorized the group to enter and defend the facilities after United States authorities supported the entry of officials appointed by Guaido.

The activists barricaded inside the embassy say the U.S. is attempting to engineer a coup against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.  Those outside say that Guaido, who with the backing of the United States declared himself "interim president" in violation of the constitution, must assume the reins of the diplomatic mission.