Do you support the overthrow of Maduro in Venezuela?

[pampango]

19. No to violent overthrow. No to violent repression.

It is the government's responsibility to deal with the violent faction in the protest - a small part of that or any protest. It also has the responsibility to protect the rights of peaceful protesters - the large majority.

Deriding this protest as "spontaneous" is the same thing the governments did in Kiev and in Bangkok, in Damascus and Cairo, in Seattle and Wall Street. Governments work hard to discredit protesters. Why? If successful, it frees them up to use more violence against the crowds. Protests are made up mostly of people really, really unhappy with their government. It takes a lot of unhappiness to get most folks to take to the streets. There will always be a small number of hardcore protesters (from the right or left, government agents or anarchists, etc.) who are there following orders and committed to violence.

My impression is that the Venezuelan government has been far from perfect but, on balance, good for Venezuelans. That said, I certainly recognize the right of Venezuelans - who undoubtedly know a whole lot more than I do about the good and bad of the government - to protest against it.