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Violence in Venezuela (HEAVY trigger warnings)
(TW: Violence, Blood, Death, Gore)
In the midst of a media blackout in the country, peaceful protests against the Venezuelan government have turned into bloodbaths as police and Tupamaros (Marxist-Leninist organizations supportive of the Venezuelan government) opened fire on the protestors.
Most of what I've heard about this has been from various tumblr accounts of people living in Venezuela (which I've decided not to link due to the graphic images within, though I can provide them upon request), as well as from the New York Times and El Pais.
I just...I have no words for this. I'm heartbroken for those poor people, and I'm extremely disappointed in our comrades in the Venezuelan government.
The people protesting are enemies of the people. I expect they are hired mobs purchased for by the bourgeois. If they aren't they are probably reactionaries.
I realize that the Venezuelan government isn't socialist but if it falls a more right wing one will take it's place making it even harder for the Venezuelan people.
Economic Left/Right: -10 (<- That means I am left wing)
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian -9.08 (<- That means I am libertarian
From: http://www.politicalcompass.org/
"If you saw my real picture, you might wet yourself....with laughter, I might add." - Comrade Dodger
This seems like a repeat of 2002 snipers shooting into protesters and the rabidly anti-Chavez media editing the footage to frame Chavistas for it. Here is the story according to Venezuelanalysis.
I think it is very important to really understand what is/has been going on in Venezuela before you rush to conclusions.
http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/10346
This seems correct.
The fascists (and other right wing groups) started it and are evil liars and criminals.
If I was in charge of Venezuela there would not be a problem like this, ever.
Economic Left/Right: -10 (<- That means I am left wing
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian -9.08 (<- That means I am libertarian
From: http://www.politicalcompass.org/
"If you saw my real picture, you might wet yourself....with laughter, I might add." - Comrade Dodger
I did hear about anti-government and pro-government protests in Venezuela. Although I heard about it on Univision, which is a bourgeois propaganda machine which targets the hispanic/spanish speaking community, so the opposition was glorified but I'm not sue to what extent. The pro-government protesters where also barley reported on.
"Maybe some day... I'll find a way... without you.."
Who are those protesters? Are they right-wingers?
Yep. Usually Far-right.
Economic Left/Right: -10 (<- That means I am left wing
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian -9.08 (<- That means I am libertarian
From: http://www.politicalcompass.org/
"If you saw my real picture, you might wet yourself....with laughter, I might add." - Comrade Dodger
Sorry, do you have any evidence to support this?
I have not been able to find coverage thats isn't obviously biased one way or the other. Venezuela news is frustrating as hell to try to follow. On one hand it's a large capitalist government so it's bound to have rampant corruption that can lead to unrest like what's currently going on in every country on the planet to some degree, on the other hand staged violence has been used by foreign governments in the past so who knows.
Man is but a goat in the hands of butchers
I don't think that just because they are violently opposing a failing government necessarily assumes that they are far-right.
The artist formerly known as La Pulga Atomica
The link MoP provided is evidence. Try reading it.
Apparently it is not just opposition protests, but also support rallies. This is fairly frequent in Venezuela. All sides are out there demonstrating in mass practically every month. Violence is nothing new, it is only reported in the west when it can be feasibly blamed on chavistas.
The enthusiastic elements in opposition are known to be far-right, particularly the the ones responsible for burning Cuban clinics & murdering people during periods of political tension and so on.
The government is not failing, it's under siege. Of course not everyone opposed to Maduro is far-right, however the opposition is right wing, so it logically follows that people out there burning shit and shooting people are far-right.
Even US media acknowledges the protests are largely organized and directed by the opposition which is pretty right-wing and getting more desperate as they can't achieve their goals through the legislature or winning municipalities. There's a lot of frustration from them in particular that they couldn't find any real signs of fraud in the last election where Maduro only barely won over Caprilles, and that has pretty much prompted the opposition to be as obstructionist and sensationalist as possible since then. We're nearing almost a year since Maduro's election in April and Venezuela has pretty much since then been hobbled by protests under the direction of the opposition and worsening economic indicators.
That being said, the protests are fueled by problems on the ground- shortages of basic stuff, inflation's effects, crime, etc. which is how they've been able to get more than the usual political stooges out in the street. The government of Venezuela has been having issues with inflation in particular which it has blamed on "economic warfare" being waged by the opposition with the help of the mostly conservative politicians and businessmen who've settled in the US and by extension the US state department as the US government has never seen eye-to-eye with Chavez's Venezuela.
How valid these claims of an economic warfare ala Allende's Chile are I don't know. There is a vested interest by the opposition to engage in this so as to create public support where it has otherwise failed to do so on its own virtue, as well as foreign media to continue smearing Venezuela anyway they can, but at the same time I think there are also problems on Maduro's end. There's only so much you can blame the opposition for before you have to start looking within your own ranks for the same problems. The opposition is feeding off that and is growing stronger. I don't think this will bring down Maduro by any chance, but if the Chavista's are going to look to their political survival they're really going to have to get their game in order.
I believe it may also show the necessity for people there struggling for a better future to not invest so heavily in a capitalist government. They need to begin making themselves more autonomous and independent, as it stands much of the local communes and militias are basically extensions of the PSUV rather than the interests of the people.
Depending on how long the media will be fascinated by this current cycle, it's going to be a nauseating time with emigres here in the states doing their media rounds about how oppressive Venezuela has been to them.
The sources I've found much of the info on, as I said, are tumblr blogs from mainly teenagers living in Venezuela. They don't really display political affiliation, but I'm more likely to take their word over the media's word, because kids aren't likely to be biased. And they're scared. They're really fucking scared.
You are right that teenagers and young people are less likely to be biased, however they are easier to manipulate if they have no other reference. The vast majority of media in Venezuela is like Fox news on steroids. People don't have to trust a source to be influenced by it. Just look at how poorly informed Americans are on just about everything if you want to see how effective biased media can be. I frequently have to listen to liberals rage on about Fox and yet when it is all said and done, their opinions really aren't substantially different. Of course, pointing that out causes as much outrage as eating a baby.
Anyway - Aside from that, what are they scared of exactly? The protesters, the government, a coup?
Right-Wing Forces Provoke Chaos Across Venezuela
Merida, 12th February 2014 (Venezuelanalysis.com) – Violent opposition groups attacked government buildings and civilians, and clashed with police and government supporters following peaceful marches commemorating the Day of Youth.
The violence has claimed two deaths and left 23 injured across the country. Thirty arrests have been made according to government sources.
Venezuela commemorates the day of the youth on 12 February each year in memory of the role of young people in the decisive independence battle in La Victoria in 1814. Today marked the bicentenary of the historic battle.
Caracas
In mid afternoon President Nicolas Maduro delivered a speech in Caracas, praising the morning’s marches as peaceful. However, shortly later one Chavista was reported to have been killed amid clashes involving opposition activists. Juan Montoya, also known as Juancho was shot. He was a community leader in the Chavista stronghold, Barrio 23 de Enero. This afternoon National Assembly head Diosdado Cabello condemned the shooting, and accused armed right-wing groups of “hunting down” Montoya.
“They are fascists, murderers, and then they talk about dialogue,” Cabello stated, referring to armed right-wing activists. The AN head called for calm, and urged against reprisals.
Violent opposition groups also attacked the attorney general’s office in Carabobo Park, Caracas. Photographs of the scene indicate the building’s exterior was damaged.
A building belonging to the government owned Fundacaracas organisation was also attacked by opposition groups. A few hours later the mayor of Caracas’s Libertador municipality, the PSUV’s Jorge Rodriguez also reported that the judicial offices in Chacao, Miranda, were also attacked. Later in the night the National Guard were deployed to the state owned VTV offices in Los Ruices. Disturbances had been reported in the area, though no further details were available at the time of writing.
In the evening, President Nicolas Maduro stated that violent opposition groups had also set fire to five police patrol vehicles. He also stated that a group of around two hundred violent activists had attempted to attack Miraflores Palace after the attorney general’s office.
Merida
After weeks of small, violent protests in Merida, there was a large march by government supporters in one part of the Andean city, and a larger march by opposition supporters elsewhere. Both were observed to be peaceful by Venezuelanalysis. However, violence began shortly after the opposition march finished. Clashes took place in Merida’s streets after individuals began burning garbage in intersections and erecting barricades.
A larger confrontation took place at a major intersection in the city’s north. Witnesses told Venezuelanalys.com that they saw men in balaclavas occupy a number of apartments, and fire live ammunition into the streets below. Riot police blocked the intersection. Hundreds of government supporters gathered a few hundred metres behind the police lines.
“We’re defending the city centre,” one supporter told Venezuelanalysis.
The Pro-Government March
At the pro-government march in the morning, Roger Zurita told Venezuelanalysis.com, “I’m worried about confrontations but I’m marching because today is the day of the youth, to celebrate the battle of La Victoria, not because of the opposition march. We have to organise ourselves around our values. We’re celebrating with happiness and peace the youth who struggle, our independence, the struggle for political power. Today we have an anti-imperialist youth and people are waking up, we’re not going to fall for the right wing’s games.”
“I’m marching for various reasons, mainly because I still believe in the project of our country, which still hasn’t been fully realised, but if we work just a bit harder we can do it, we have a lot to do. Also because it’s important to show that we are many, there are a lot of people who believe in this. What’s been happening in Merida is sad, regrettable. It’s a shame that they [violent sectors of the opposition] can’t propose anything without violence. We shouldn’t respond with violence. But the only proposal they seem to have is to get people into power who have never cared about the people, they just want to sell our country to the [US] empire,” Raquel Barrios told Venezuelanalysis, referring to the last four days of violence in Merida.
“I’m marching to commemorate the battle of La Victoria, but they [the opposition leadership] are manipulating the youth of Merida and parts of the opposition, they want to put an end to everything we’ve achieved, but they won’t be able to, because we’re peaceful people but ready for any necessary battle,” said Douglas Vasquez told Venezuelanalysis.
“Basically I’m marching to rescue Merida. We can’t let Merida be in the hands of violent people. I’m a teacher at the University of Los Andes (ULA), and I feel very ashamed that the recent violent incidents are mostly promoted by people from the ULA, who hope to create discomfort in the people in order to overthrow a consolidated and democratically elected government,” Katania Felisola said to Venezuelanalysis.
The Opposition March
The opposition march started at the ULA and went down the Americas Avenue after a last minute redirection.
Fernando Peña, a chemical engineering student at the ULA told Venezuelanalysis’s Ewan Robertson, “The students have felt the need to show themselves against [the goverment], because they have taken students prisoner in Mérida and Táchira just for expressing their right to protest. Right now feelings are very tense, because the people are tired of the government, [and] the students are the centre of the mobilisation throughout the country. The people now deeply disagree with the decisions that the government makes…living in Venezuela has become ever more difficult”.
Jan Carlos Lopez, worker in the Medical Faculty of the ULA told VA, “Some of the main reasons [for the march] are the shortages that are being experienced in the country, criminality, and insecurity. There isn’t an organisation that can protect us at night time so that we can go out. That’s what we’re asking for, security so that all Venezuelans can live in peace.”
Other opposition marchers told Robertson that they blamed the government for the violence, for “sending out motorbikes to attack students”.
In the violence after the marches, two people have been reported as injured, both shot in the legs. One of those was Jilfredo Barradas, a state government photographer.
“It’s a show, everyone knew it would turn out like this, it was planned,” one Merida activist told Venezuelanalysis, referring to the violence both in the Americas intersection as well as on Avenue 3.
Further, Gustavo Bazan told Venezuelanalysis, “On Friday they [violent opposition sectors] wanted to store Molotov cocktails [in the apartment where Bazan lives] and break up bricks in order to have rocks. I stepped out of line a bit and I told them that here they weren’t protesting against the government but rather against their own neighbours. I challenged them to take off their balaclavas and said to them they weren’t capable of coming over and having a conversation. They jumped over the fence and three of them started to beat me up. A friend and a building security guard saved me. I filmed them while they prepared the Molotov cocktails”.
Other cities
Electricity minister Jesse Chacon informed through his Twitter account that “violent groups” surrounded an electric substation in San Cristobal and threw Molotov cocktails at it.
According to AVN there was also violence in Aragua and Carabobo states “which left material damage”.
The governor of Carabobo state, Francisco Ameliach said that “violent groups burnt a truck with liquid asphalt”. Ameliach alleged that the head of the MUD in the state, Vicencio Scarano had financed the crimes.
The minister for internal affairs, Miguel Rodriguez Torres, said that violent groups had tried to set the Aragua state government building on fire.
Official response
Tonight Attorney General Luisa Ortega Diaz informed the public that so far there have been a total of two deaths, 23 injured, and thirty arrests. Along with Montoya, student Basil Da Costa died after suffering a gunshot. She added though that public lawyers were investigating and visiting hospitals to determine the exact number. According to Maduro the two men were both shot in the head, “like the sharp shooters who murdered [people] on 11 April [2002]”.
Ortega also said that four CICPC (Scientific Crime Investigation Body) vehicles were set on fire, as well as other private vehicles.
Regarding the march in Caracas, she said “they were guaranteed security from Plaza Venezuela to the Attorney General’s Office, there was nothing to impede them”.
Maduro also warned tonight that “whoever protests or marches without permission will be detained”.
“These are trained groups who… are prepared to overthrow the government in a violent way, and I’m not going to allow this, so I call on Venezuela to be peaceful,” Maduro said.
Foreign minister Elias Jaua alleged that Leopoldo Lopez was the “intellectual author of the deaths and injuries in Caracas”.
The Ecuadorian government emitted a statement today condemning the “acts of violence and vandalism by irresponsible members of the opposition”.
“We hope for the prompt reestablishment of social peace in our brother country and because respect for the government and its legitimately constituted institutions has precedence”.
Opposition statements and response
“This a call put out by the students and supported by the Democratic Unity [MUD opposition coalition], this march on the day of the youth is taking place when the government is repressing, with jail, with torture,” Leopoldo Lopez told CNN yesterday, in anticipation of today’s events.
“The government has an agenda of violence and as they control the monopoly [sic] over communication in Venezuela they hide it…the call that has been made is to be in the street,” he said, blaming the violence over the last week in Merida and Tachira on the government.
Speaking tonight on Noticias 24, Lopez blamed the national government for today’s violence and deaths. “Who is generating the violence? The government… repression by the national guard, the police,” he said.
Some of the top tweets by the opposition at the moment also blamed the Tupamaros groups. The Tupamaros are now quite small, but are often blamed for any violence that takes place. They support the national government.
“They (Tupamaros) are animals and they should all die,” wrote Daniel Garcia.
“Hitler, come back and put all the Tupamaros in gas chambers” wrote Andreina Leonett.
“When the first student dies all the streets of Venezuela will burn,” wrote Jose Gamboa.
Over the last week far right opposition leaders such as Leopoldo Lopez have been calling for people to “go out into the street” in order to achieve an “exit” of the national government.
MORE…
http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/10346
"Of all the politicians and political people with whom I have had conversations, and whom I have had conversations, and who called themselves followers of Connolly, he was the only one who truly understood what James Connolly meant when he spoke of his vision of the freedom of the Irish people."
- Nora Connolly, daughter of James Connolly, speaking of Seamus Costello shortly after his assassination
They're scared because seemingly harmless people are being shot by the police for (to them) no apparent reason. As one roughly put it (and I'm paraphrasing here): "People are being killed in the street and Maduro is on TV saying 'nothing is happening, everything is okay'? Fuck you, Maduro!"
That's the extent to which they know what's going on.
This is why the Left needs to focus on education and inclusiveness of the people in government more often, because stuff like this breeds discontent, and such a popular-based movement as Communism needs public support and revolutionary fervor.
From what I pieced together these protests were uneventful and peaceful until most of the people went home and the remaining hooligans began a riot and assassinated a prominent Chavista community leader, Juan Montoya(also a life-long friend of President Maduro). In revenge, the MRT Marxist-Lenisist paramilitary/party went hunting for these rioting imperialist puppets. They bagged a couple of kills and seriously injured like a dozen. Good for them. I've been reading up on the MRT("tupamaros") and I'm really liking their work in the past. For example, they would enter the most crime-infested neighborhoods that cops would be to afraid to venture into and riddle drug dealers, drug distributors and other human garbage with bullets. They even used to kill corrupt cops involved in the drug trade.
Real shame Maduro and his government restrained them and prevented them from killing at least a few more ringleaders. Parasites like that only understand violence and fear.
Who needs cops when you're your own cop...
This group sound interesting. Do you have any links about them?
"Of all the politicians and political people with whom I have had conversations, and whom I have had conversations, and who called themselves followers of Connolly, he was the only one who truly understood what James Connolly meant when he spoke of his vision of the freedom of the Irish people."
- Nora Connolly, daughter of James Connolly, speaking of Seamus Costello shortly after his assassination
The story seems to indicate that it was left-wing armed groups which are pro-government which did the shooting, not the pigs. It's more than possible that there *were* armed leftists who shot at the protest because of the sometimes violent and extreme political divisions between right and left. It's no secret that there are pro- and anti-government civilian groups which are armed.
The Venezuelan economy is still basically Capitalist, and it's the instability of market forces that are motivating the economy. The middle classes don't like populist social democracy because it cuts into profits.
Really, saying "Maduro is an evil dictator" and "Our comrades in Venezuela are under attack by a sinister right wing" are simplistic analyses of the situation. I think people should be critical and level headed when reading the statements coming out of groups that are sympathetic to the government and groups which oppose it. Both sides are social and political elites with particular factions who need to appeal to the people to preserve their power and authority.
Yeah I totally trust a mob of angry armed vigilantes to kill the right guy.
This gets the award for "most reactionary nonsense on RevLeft outside of OI in a month"
Socialist Party of Outer Space
