C
Captain Compassion
Guest
Venezuela's Chavez widens attack on opposition media
Wed May 30, 2007 9:11AM EDT
By Christian Oliver
CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Tuesday called
opposition news channel Globovision an enemy of the state and said he
would do what was needed to stop it from inciting violence, only days
after he shut another opposition broadcaster.
Tens of thousands of Venezuelans marched in Caracas in a fourth
consecutive day of protests over Chavez's closure of the RCTV network
- a move which has sparked international criticism that the leftist
leader's reforms are undermining democracy.
State television showed hundreds of government supporters marching in
downtown Caracas celebrating Chavez's decision.
"Enemies of the homeland, particularly those behind the scenes, I will
give you a name: Globovision. Greetings gentlemen of Globovision, you
should watch where you are going," Chavez said in a broadcast all
channels had to show.
"I recommend you take a tranquilizer and get into gear, because if
not, I am going to do what is necessary."
He accused Globovision of trying to incite his assassination and of
misreporting protests over the closure of RCTV in a manner that could
whip up a situation similar to the coup attempt against him in 2002.
U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey said Washington called on
Venezuelan authorities "to reverse these policies that they are
pursuing to limit freedom of expression."
Since coming to power in 1999, Chavez has won the support of the
nation's poor majority with a multi-billion dollar social spending
program, financed by the nation's oil revenues, that helped him win a
landslide re-election last year.
But his critics say his moves to centralize power, politicize key
institutions like the military, judiciary and oil industry threaten
democracy. He is forging a single governing party, ruling by decree
and considering abolishing limits on how many terms a president can
serve.
CLASHES OVER CLOSURE
Given this trend, political analysts had considered the existence of a
critical media as the principal safeguard against Chavez following the
lead of his communist mentor Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
After RCTV's closure, Globovision is the last main opposition media in
the OPEC nation, but it does not have nationwide coverage.
Chavez has had a long-running feud with opposition television
channels, which openly supported a coup against him in April 2002 and
refused to show the massive mobilization of his supporters that turned
the tide back in the president's favor.
RCTV's closure on Sunday has led to intermittent clashes between
protesters hurling bottles and stones and police firing rubber bullets
and tear gas.
The mayor of metropolitan Caracas, Juan Barreto, said up to 187 people
had been detained during the protests, mainly students. He said 19
police had been hurt, one surviving a shot to chest thanks to a flak
jacket.
Globovision Director General Alberto Ravell told Reuters the charges
against his channel were "ridiculous" but added he was worried by the
government's offensive.
"If this government, with one stroke of the pen, closed the oldest
television station in the country (RCTV), that has been on the air for
53 years, how will it not be able to shut this station which is far
smaller," he said.
"This is a country with a single party and a single trade union. Now
it appears there is going to be a single channel."
Chavez told Venezuelans to be on alert in case protests turned into a
coup attempt against him. He called particularly on the poor
shantytowns to repeat the support they showed for him during the coup
attempt of 2002.
"Be alert, on the hillsides, in the shantytowns," he said.
--
There may come a time when the CO2 police will wander the earth telling
the poor and the dispossed how many dung chips they can put on their
cook fires. -- Captain Compassion.
Wherever I go it will be well with me, for it was well with me here, not
on account of the place, but of my judgments which I shall carry away
with me, for no one can deprive me of these; on the contrary, they alone
are my property, and cannot be taken away, and to possess them suffices
me wherever I am or whatever I do. -- EPICTETUS
Celibacy in healthy human beings is a form of
insanity. -- Captain Compassion
"Civilization is the interval between Ice Ages." -- Will Durant.
Joseph R. Darancette
daranc@NOSPAMcharter.net
Wed May 30, 2007 9:11AM EDT
By Christian Oliver
CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Tuesday called
opposition news channel Globovision an enemy of the state and said he
would do what was needed to stop it from inciting violence, only days
after he shut another opposition broadcaster.
Tens of thousands of Venezuelans marched in Caracas in a fourth
consecutive day of protests over Chavez's closure of the RCTV network
- a move which has sparked international criticism that the leftist
leader's reforms are undermining democracy.
State television showed hundreds of government supporters marching in
downtown Caracas celebrating Chavez's decision.
"Enemies of the homeland, particularly those behind the scenes, I will
give you a name: Globovision. Greetings gentlemen of Globovision, you
should watch where you are going," Chavez said in a broadcast all
channels had to show.
"I recommend you take a tranquilizer and get into gear, because if
not, I am going to do what is necessary."
He accused Globovision of trying to incite his assassination and of
misreporting protests over the closure of RCTV in a manner that could
whip up a situation similar to the coup attempt against him in 2002.
U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey said Washington called on
Venezuelan authorities "to reverse these policies that they are
pursuing to limit freedom of expression."
Since coming to power in 1999, Chavez has won the support of the
nation's poor majority with a multi-billion dollar social spending
program, financed by the nation's oil revenues, that helped him win a
landslide re-election last year.
But his critics say his moves to centralize power, politicize key
institutions like the military, judiciary and oil industry threaten
democracy. He is forging a single governing party, ruling by decree
and considering abolishing limits on how many terms a president can
serve.
CLASHES OVER CLOSURE
Given this trend, political analysts had considered the existence of a
critical media as the principal safeguard against Chavez following the
lead of his communist mentor Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
After RCTV's closure, Globovision is the last main opposition media in
the OPEC nation, but it does not have nationwide coverage.
Chavez has had a long-running feud with opposition television
channels, which openly supported a coup against him in April 2002 and
refused to show the massive mobilization of his supporters that turned
the tide back in the president's favor.
RCTV's closure on Sunday has led to intermittent clashes between
protesters hurling bottles and stones and police firing rubber bullets
and tear gas.
The mayor of metropolitan Caracas, Juan Barreto, said up to 187 people
had been detained during the protests, mainly students. He said 19
police had been hurt, one surviving a shot to chest thanks to a flak
jacket.
Globovision Director General Alberto Ravell told Reuters the charges
against his channel were "ridiculous" but added he was worried by the
government's offensive.
"If this government, with one stroke of the pen, closed the oldest
television station in the country (RCTV), that has been on the air for
53 years, how will it not be able to shut this station which is far
smaller," he said.
"This is a country with a single party and a single trade union. Now
it appears there is going to be a single channel."
Chavez told Venezuelans to be on alert in case protests turned into a
coup attempt against him. He called particularly on the poor
shantytowns to repeat the support they showed for him during the coup
attempt of 2002.
"Be alert, on the hillsides, in the shantytowns," he said.
--
There may come a time when the CO2 police will wander the earth telling
the poor and the dispossed how many dung chips they can put on their
cook fires. -- Captain Compassion.
Wherever I go it will be well with me, for it was well with me here, not
on account of the place, but of my judgments which I shall carry away
with me, for no one can deprive me of these; on the contrary, they alone
are my property, and cannot be taken away, and to possess them suffices
me wherever I am or whatever I do. -- EPICTETUS
Celibacy in healthy human beings is a form of
insanity. -- Captain Compassion
"Civilization is the interval between Ice Ages." -- Will Durant.
Joseph R. Darancette
daranc@NOSPAMcharter.net
