Something that caught my eye after digging a little through various news outlets.
What's all this racket about? The root of this protest movement has a lot of causes, but with what little authentic media you can find seeping out of the country, its hard to determine the who and what is in the wrong or right.
The most apparent view nonetheless is that Nicolas Maduro (the current president of Venezuela) basically failed in his policies. A failure that essentially lead to hyperinflation, mass crime (something that's really risen in the past few years) and high unemployment. The majority of the opposition is demanding that Maduro and his cabinet be ousted (a view that isn't being held by the leaders of the opposition).
He obviously isn't going to go down without a fight, so a few "stray" rounds here and there sprinkled with some overzealous police and we have this crapstorm in a basket going in Venezuela.
Venezuela: Several shot dead in anti-government street protests
At least three people have been shot dead during anti-government protests in Venezuela. Both sides are blaming each other for the killings while social media reports allege government backed armed groups were responsible. The protesters are angry with President Nicolas Maduro’s failure to control inflation, crime and a lack of opportunities for the country’s young.
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The government has accused opposition hardliners of trying to mount a coup similar to the one a decade ago that briefly ousted the late socialist leader Hugo Chavez.
Protests turn violent in Venezuela amid growing anger CARACAS — Shots rang out and tear gas clouded the air of a wealthy Caracas district Saturday night as protests against the government continued for a fourth consecutive day.
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There is growing anger here at soaring inflation — which is up to 56.3% over the past 12 months — and a murder rate that, according to local NGOs, is one of the world's highest.
"The government is taking us into the slaughterhouse," said Valentina Ortiz, 33, a pediatrician in Plaza Altamira. "We'll just be able to get food and water soon."
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With no looming election, there is little hope that the protests will topple Maduro from power. The unrest also points toward a split within the opposition as Henrique Capriles, the opposition's leader who lost elections against both Maduro and Chávez, has distanced himself from the demonstrations.
Opposition supporters now see little hope in Capriles, and support is growing for more hardline members of the opposition.
"López is more radical than Capriles, and that's what this country needs right now," said protester Tulio Manzini, 22, in Plaza Altamira.
Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro Reaches Out to Opposition Leaders
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro launched a new plan to combat violent crime, inviting three opposition governors, including two-time presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, to sign on to the strategy.
“I’ll meet with you, the three opposition governors, and receive you at the Miraflores Palace whenever you want, and we’ll talk and I’ll explain directly the tasks that fall to you in the Pacification Plan,” Maduro said in a public event Friday.
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The president, who was accompanied at the public event by 20 pro-government governors and several Cabinet ministers, said the plan marks the start of a “new model” in the fight against crime. “A revolution of love, a profound revolution to unite us in new values,” Maduro said.
Twitter reports image blocking in ‘restrictive’ Venezuela Twitter said Friday that Venezuela had blocked images on its service following an anti-government protest that turned bloody, and it offered a workaround for users who want to get tweets via text message on their cellphones.
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Video and still images that circulated via Twitter after the killings purported to show police and pro-government activists shooting at protesters. The images' authenticity could not be confirmed.
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Venezuela's government also suspended broadcasting inside the country on Wednesday night of the regional news channel NTN24, claiming it was trying to incite citizens to overthrow the government.
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Activists said they believe the Twitter image blocking was designed to censor images that President Nicolas Maduro's government did not want Venezuelans to see.
Venezuela split by pro- and anti-Maduro protests CARACAS, Venezuela – Supporters and opponents of Venezuela’s leftist government staged dueling rallies Saturday in Caracas and other cities in the latest public displays of discontent at soaring inflation and basic goods shortages.
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Two anti-government protesters and a pro-Maduro demonstrator died in a rally Wednesday, in violence that raised alarm throughout Latin America and as far away as Europe. Some 60 people were also injured.
“Before, we would not go out on the street because of crime. Now, we go out to protest and they kill us,” said university student Isaac Castillo, 27.
“We young people have neither faith nor hope. There are no jobs and even if we get one, it is not enough to make a decent living.”
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Maduro says the protests against him signal the rumblings of a coup to depose him, vowing to use force to prevent unauthorized street gatherings.
The president has accused opposition leader Leopoldo López of being one of the main backers of the protests, and he is wanted for arrest.
“Turn yourself over, coward! The people want justice,” Maduro said.
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The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights urged the Venezuelan government Friday to bring those responsible for the violence to justice. The European Union also expressed concern.
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The protesters have demanded that Maduro step down, although opposition leaders have not endorsed the request.
So what does this all mean? Mind you, the last time a protest close to this scale happened was back when Hugo Chavez was ousted temporarily in 2002. Nothing really changed from that since it wasn't taken as seriously (hence his rapid return to office).
But unlike last time, this protest seems a lot more organised, larger and widespread, not to mention the crisis the country is going through and with the advent of social media allowing word of this rally to spread more quickly, there's a greater chance this time a protest of this scale will make a bigger impact.
Nonetheless, the primary question that still remains is whether the rest of the population will back this protest or the current regime since Hugo held basically 60% of the majority last time. Don't forget that the military and national police are also on Maduro's side.
And if they do succeed, what will form out of the ashes of the current government? Would this new establishment be pro-West (or pro-U.S. to be more specific) and become capitalist or lean more towards Russia/China? What would the implications be for the nearby countries and for the rest of Latin America? Could this be the beginning of some sort of "Latino Spring"? Discuss.
On February 17 2014 07:47 DeepElemBlues wrote: Turns out that price controls and calling people fascist scum doesn't turn your country into a paradise. Who knew?
Yeah basically this, the only reason shit didn't hit the fan sooner was the surplus money from oil. The country has been runing on failed political and economical premises for over a decade now.
I really doubt these counter-revolutionaries represent the people of bolivia, let's not forget the interest and political view behind the news reports.
We have been protesting for the last week, and we will continue to do so until our goals and expectations are met.
Everyday that passes we become more organised and have clearer goals than the day before. In the first few days the National Guard (GNB) was shooting smoke bombs to students protesting in a pacific manner. There are even videos demonstrating that SEBIN people (Servicio Bolivariano de Inteligencia · Bolivarian Service of Intelligence) shot the students while they were trying to scape smoke bombs and more shooting. (Video >> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmHEEO_MpII).
After that, they stopped attacking in day hours, and waited for the sun to come down. That way it'd be harder for them to be caught on camera and easier to get away with it.
Some things to take into consideration: + They've been using expired smoke bombs. + A day ago, in Altamira square, they used green gas. News outlets report that these are lethal and may contain arsenic.
The closing of a news outlet (NTN24) here is also a big problem. They were the only ones in the street reporting what students were being victims of. Most (if not all) of the TV Networks are controlled by the Government. So obviously they don't show anything that's happening on the streets and most people are left uninformed. Twitter and Instagram have become a great deal in these recent days due to the fact that information can be spread easily and with the right amount on confirmation it can be helpful to those in dangerous situations.
These tags are the most prominents for people reporting things: #SOSVenezuela, #PrayForVenezuela, #VenezuelaReporta.
I'll try to stop by this thread in a day or two and report back.
"This is a yet another fascist coup backed by the west"
...aaaand we're back to square one. Nonetheless...
Doing what I can with Google Translate and some guesswork (I obviously don't speak Spanish )
Hostile Negotiations
1:50 - Things start taking a turn for the worse when a negotiation (I would assume) between the protesters and police get heated. 5:40 - More tear gas is fired at protesters that refuse to stand down (OUCH for the guy in the background who's getting his arse handed to him by a squad of cops). 7:20 - Police returning to formation as two (?) protesters call for the rest of the crowd to stand back?
Pro-government rallies in (?) downtown Caracas
Those people behind the interviewees don't look too enthusiastic though.
Not the best move. It doesn't bother them all. Want to fuck with the us? stop selling petroleum and stop buying gas to/from Them. That'll start something huge.
They have always been paranoid of the US. To the extend of saying that Chavez's cancer was induced by the US to him.
In most of these protests, tear gas is thrown at students without notice of warning calls. I'll try to find a picture where people were just there, protesting in peace and less than 10m away a GNB shots a tear gas bomb at the massive group of students.
Ugh, I had so much hope for Venezuela when I was younger but the more and more I learned about the politics, the more and more I started to expect an opposition movement. It looks like it finally happened. Stay safe funkie and best of luck to you and your movement!
On February 17 2014 14:34 Shiragaku wrote: Ugh, I had so much hope for Venezuela when I was younger but the more and more I learned about the politics, the more and more I started to expect and opposition movement. It looks like it finally happened. Stay safe funkie and best of luck to you and your movement!
You are making it sound like the protests and tearing the country apart. The protests are a manifestation of a country broken down by goverment control and corruption.
If the protests stop tomorrow, you still have a country ridden with shortage of basic supplies, inflation, unemployment, high crime and violence and a corrupt government. If things don't change they won't get better and violence will return.
On February 17 2014 14:34 Shiragaku wrote: Ugh, I had so much hope for Venezuela when I was younger but the more and more I learned about the politics, the more and more I started to expect and opposition movement. It looks like it finally happened. Stay safe funkie and best of luck to you and your movement!
You are making it sound like the protests and tearing the country apart. The protests are a manifestation of a country broken down by goverment control and corruption.
If the protests stop tomorrow, you still have a country ridden with shortage of basic supplies, inflation, unemployment, high crime and violence and a corrupt government. If things don't change they won't get better and violence will return.
stay safe funkie
Oh no, I am well aware that the protests are a response to the injustice that plagues the country rather than a society that was a socialist paradise that is being destroyed by a bunch of reactionary hooligans. I know that Venezuela is not an ideal nation and most people I know who are strong supporters of the Venezuelan government tend to be anti-imperialist for the sake of anti-imperialism rather than out of love for democracy.
Oh Maduro. Maybe you won't last long enough to be as dearly loved as Chavez. Maybe it isn't the nonpartisan source, but if you like news with humor, that would be Peter Jeffrey
I’m a Socialist and I Know What I’m Doing
No, not me. I’m a monarchist and I need directions to Versailles. I’m talking about Nicolas Maduro, the president of Venezuela. He’s the socialist who knows what he’s doing.
He pointed it out recently in a State of the Nation address he needn’t have given since everyone who lives in Venezuela already knows the State of the Nation and it is Excruciating.[...]
[Finance Leader Fired] Who is the new finance minister? An army brigadier general. What unsuccessful effort at battling inflation did the government try two months ago? Troops. Look, it seemed to make sense at the time. It’s a syllogism:
We want to fight inflation Troops fight (Wait for it)
Troops can fight inflation Quod erat demonstrandum. (That’s on the other side of the nation’s 12 million-bolivar note.)
And the guy who failed to whip inflation as finance minister — what is his fate? A. He has resigned in disgrace from public affairs. B. He has fled the country in the dead of night, stopping only at Arby’s for an Ultimate Angus (19 million bolivars but that’s with fries). C. He has dug a hidey hole, only deeper than Saddam’s. D. He goes back to running the nation’s central bank.
My 5$ is on Maduro out. It might only be nominally worth 31.5 Bolívars, but at least it can buy a burger.
such is the legacy of Chavez. He managed to elevate the poor by turning his country into Zimbabwe, thus ensuing social equality in this workers paradise, as now the money is worth nothing.
On February 17 2014 09:50 crazyweasel wrote: I'll share another side of this matter that way we can have an ecclectic view of the positions there are.
I really doubt these counter-revolutionaries represent the people of bolivia, let's not forget the interest and political view behind the news reports.
its almost like the failures of your ideology always end up 'solved' by more and more violent repression. Who would have thought?
but yeah, its the counter-revolutionaries that are clearly hoarding all the toilet paper. maybe the problem is insufficient nationalization of the toilet paper manufacturers and jailing of all their executives