Young people wear masks to protect themselves from tear gas at a strike called by the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (UCPN) to remove the ruling government. The Maoist opposition blocked streets leading to key government offices on the 6th May, the fifth day of their crippling general strike to demand the prime minister's resignation, but the government has vowed not to bow to the protesters' pressure. The Maoists, known to use violence to back their strike calls, have demanded that residents halt all travel and keep businesses and schools closed since Sunday in their campaign to get Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal to resign and hand power to a Maoist-led government. The strike has shut down most businesses, schools and transport, with daily activity grinding to a standstill.