All Hell Breaks Loose In Caracas
Filed under: Venezuela
Source: Associated Press, via Philly Burbs
Source: Associated Press, via Philly Burbs
Students went on strike all over Venezuela today, shutting down every major university in the name of free speech. El Universal reports that it's about eight big ones with all the kids marching onto OAS headquarters to urge the hemisphere's democracy-certifier to grow a spine. Miguel has a live report about what he saw in the streets, as well as photos. It sounds like turmoil and now troops have opened fire with rubber bullets and tear gas to break up the protests.
Source: Reuters, via Yahoo! News
These began last night - they are well chronicled by Jim at GatewayPundit here - and have extended through to today. Megaresistencia, citing Union Radio, reports that numerous students at Simon Bolivar University were injured in tear gas and rubber bullet attacks by Chavista troops here.
Source: Reuters, via Yahoo! News
Source: EFE, via Megaresistencia
It all began because last night, Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez shut down RCTV, Venezuela's largest and most popular television network. He did this by decree, for he rules by decree. This time he pulled RCTV's 53-year license. The clever yank-their-license approach gave his move an appearance of legality to outsiders. However, it was motivated by pure political revenge. Were Venezuela a real democracy, no politician would ever do a move so unpopular. Only one unafraid of popular retribution at the ballot box or any other kind of backlash would. Hugo fears nothing now.
Source: Associated Press
That wasn't all he did. Chavez sent in troops to steal -err, temporarily protect - the station's broadcasting assets and presumably hand them over to his chavista television worker collectives, barbaric groups of slum ignoramuses of no professionalism or commitment to news whatsoever. I know. I visited some when I was in Caracas, and I know who they are. Their sole purpose is propaganda and revenge on enemies. They don't actually know anything, they just want to indoctrinate. Lots of them are 'intellectuals' from the '60s who could never make it as real academics.
Source: AP, via BBC Mundo
That lack of professionalism is showing already - AP reported that the Chavista station that has replaced RCTV, known as Teves, has already showed its direction by singing Kim Il-Sung-style songs about how wonderful Hugo Chavez really is. The cult of personality has begun. Can you imagine losing your favorite television shows to be replaced by Marxist indoctrination by Marxist ideologues?
Source: Agencia EFE, via Yahoo! Mexico
So not only is free speech dead in Venezuela, so are all other kinds of expression. And it all follows a long slide downhill on free speech rights, as described here, that is now continuing on to the harassment of CNN, Globovision and other Web sites, showing that Chavistas will stop at nothing to silence all free speech. As coda, blogger Tomas Sancio says it will only last as long as Venezuela's economy does.
Source: AFP, via BBC Mundo
Now troops are firing on 'dangerous' students who don't want their last right to speak out taken away in the emerging Venezuelan dictatorship.
Source: Tal Cual, via Megaresistencia
UPDATE: Radio and TV stations in El Salvador and Costa Rica went dark in solidarity with RCTV.
Keep an eye on Miguel's blog, which has updates through the day, and Daniel's blog, too, which will probably have the same shortly.
Feathers has lots of local links of developments and YouTubes, it's worth a click here. And keep an eye out for updates on Venezuela Today, too, which watches everything.
Source: AP, via Yahoo! Mexico
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