Caracas in the Facade
I toss around the f-word (fascist, hello?) pretty freely in discussing Venezuelan politics. I’m happy to see that Rosie O’Chávez agrees with me.
President Hugo Chavez condemned Venezuela’s opposition on Friday for resorting to “fascist violence” in protesting constitutional changes that would greatly expand his power.
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Portraying his political foes as anti-democratic right-wingers, Chavez accused opponents of seeking help from Washington and Venezuela’s military.
“I urge the people of the right not to go down the fascist path…. They generally take the path of fascist violence and confront the laws and the people, and they are always looking to the Pentagon, high-ranking generals.”
Can’t argue with that, right? Power to the people, and [bleep] the Pentagon. (Only, what’s the Pentagon got to do with Venezuela, Rose?)
At issue are 69 constitutional amendments, approved for the December 2 referendum by the overwhelmingly pro-Chavez National Assembly, that would let him run for re-election indefinitely, suspend civil liberties during states of emergency, censor the news media and take control of the national bank.
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University leaders have accused Chavez’s government of arming the groups who opened fire on students returning from a peaceful march Wednesday. At least eight people were injured during the violence, including two students by gunfire, officials said.
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Higher Education Minister Luis Acuna offered to send in troops to quell the violence, but university authorities quickly rejected the offer as an attempted power grab.
“We won’t fall into the trap,” Eleazar Narvaez, the university’s rector, said Thursday.
Chavez opponents say the president has long wanted to end the autonomy of Venezuela’s public universities, most of which are run by opposition rectors who defeated Chavista candidates in campus elections.
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[F]aculty president Victor Marquez accused Chavez’s government of provoking the violence by sending in armed militias: “These are the ones responsible, the government’s paramilitary groups.”
Fight the power, Rosie! Don’t let the bastards grind you down. The people united will never be defeated. Pass the macaroni and cheese.