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News :: Miscellaneous |
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Venezuela ALERT !! The People Fight Back |
Current rating: 0 |
by Violeta
(No verified email address) |
14 Apr 2002
Modified: 01:55:58 AM |
The situation in Venezuela during the last 24Hrs.
The role of the elites, in concert with the dominant media and the CIA, is clearly revealed by the determined courage of the people of Venezuela. ML |
In the past 24 hours, Venezuela has been consumed by dramatic political upheaval and social turmoil. Democratically elected president Hugo Chavez was detained after protests against his government's oil policy resulted in the shooting of several protesters by snipers of unknown origin. Select members of the upper-level military ranks attempted to seize power by means of a coup d'etat, similar to that achieved in 1973 in Chile, occurrence which resulted in decades of ensuing military rule. The generals who turned against Chavez, with the support of several wealthy businessmen including those associated with large oil interests, and the United States government.
The mainstream media proved to be demonstratively complicit in its reporting of the tensions that have predominated Venezuela's domestic agenda this past week. CNN as well as Telemundo gave ample coverage to the relatively small numbers of people protesting recent oil policy changes announced by the Chavez administration, and disseminated readily the communiqué of the offending generals who violated this country's constitutional process.
Thankfully, the Venezuelan people refused to accept the fate that this attempted coup promised. Massive popular protest ensued after the businessman Pedro Carmona declared himself Venezuela's new president, removed the word "Boliviariana" from the name of the Republic of Venezuela and began to re-write the Venezuelan constitution. The people of this nation demanded respect for constitutional process, which would require that the Vice-president assume the presidency in an eventuality such as this.
As the Vice president Diosdado Cabello was being sworn in as the new executive of the Republic, Chavez was liberated from his captors. Currently, it appears that Chavez is in the custody of the military personnel who have remained loyal to his project and cause. Rumor has it that Carmona has taken refuge in the U.S. Embassy and is requesting political asylum, and activists across the Americas are directing complaints via email to the right-wing newspapers and private television channels that refused to cover the events since late Friday evening, and accusing them of being accomplices to the fascist conspiracy to overthrow a president instated by popular vote.
Independent media reports from within Venezuela and from neighboring countries have followed these events closely and have provided crucial support for the Venezuelan people. The demonstration of popular will in the face of the threat of fascism from the extreme right, the oil powers and the heavy hand of Uncle Sam, has re-affirmed the legitimacy of the government and social project of Hugo Chavez. |
See also:
http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=171315&group=webcast
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