Venezuela sees clashes as anti-Chavez TV station closed

[demoleft]

Source: bbc

Police and protesters have clashed in several Venezuelan cities after a TV channel opposed to President Hugo Chavez was taken off air.

One student was reported killed and several officers injured in the city of Merida amid fighting between pro- and anti-Chavez groups.
...
Meanwhile, Vice President Ramon Carrizalez has resigned.
...
"My resignation is not the result of any discrepancy with government decisions, and any other version about my reasons for resigning is false and malicious," he said.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8480327.stm

[WriteDown]

1. Obviously one of the rich elite

"One student was reported killed...." :eyes:

[RaleighNCDUer]

5. Students can't prefer the wealthy elites over government by the people?

In a country where it is the wealthy elites predominate in higher education, because the poor can't afford it?

Gee, we'd never see scions of the wealthiest families protecting their privileges in THIS country.

[WriteDown]

6. Yes.....

Like Kent State. Those kids got what they deserved! :eyes:

[RaleighNCDUer]

7. BTW, the student who was killed was a Chavez supporter.

The more appropriate comparison would be brownshirt riots against the Weimar government.

The instigators were, again, RCTV which was denied its broadcast re-licencing because of their overt support of the attempt to overthrow the government a few years ago. Chavez, that vile, vicious dictator, did not sent the directors of RCTV to prison - he just banished them to cable.

Now, because RCTV refused to air government speeches on its cable station - as required by law - they were threatened with losing their cable license as well. It is NOT about censorship - they've continued to promote anti-Chavez programming all along. It is about the government having decided in assembly that when the President gives a speech, the people have a right to hear it. If they don't want to listen to it, they can turn off the TV for an hour.

The CIA is still up to its tricks in Venezuela.

[WriteDown]

11. Doesn't matter who was killed...

Just shows the force on the crackdown. You may want to read the article. Chavez changed RCTV from "international" to "national" to force them to carry his messages. Before that change there was no problem.

[RaleighNCDUer]

15. It DOES matter who was killed, because you want to pin it on the government

'crackdown' when the violence was instigated by the RCTV-backed astroturf anti-government faction, and it is THEY who are responsible for the death of the student. In what world does a government kill its supporters?

As for the change from 'international' to 'national', I suspect that has to do with intricacies of Venezuelan law which neither of us know anything about - suffice it to say that he was NOT censoring them - they've carried anti-Chavez programming all along - but only insisting they follow the law along with 23 OTHER cable channels and broadcast the government material as well. RCTV was not singled out.

Do you know how many cable channels there were NOT changed from international to national, keeping their exemption from broadcasting the government side in local politics? Do yo know what criteria were used as a basis for the change in designation? Didn't think so. Let me know if you find out. (Not that you are going to even try - you'd rather just spew your bile against Chavez.)

[WriteDown]

16. Got ya...

So RCTV had the guns.

"As for the change from 'international' to 'national', I suspect that has to do with intricacies of Venezuelan law..."

Exactly right. Its an election year.

[Flaneur]

19. "Venezuelan Teabaggers Kill Chavez Supporter"

That's a bit different from "Fascist Venezuelan Cops Kill Freedom Loving Protestor."

[ChangoLoa]

33. propaganda vs. propaganda. nt

[Yuca]

25. DOES matter who was killed

One 15 years old and another 25 years old, both students that
support Chavez, were ambushed and killed from high in two
separated events. This is not the first time that
revolutionary students are killed by the squalid fascist
opposition to Chavez, just to grasp some news headlines and
create the image that were opposition's students and gain
points in their favor.

How on Earth this violent people pretend to rule a country
that has wake up and able to see the differences?

RCTV is calling the students to take the strees in its
defence, but the deaths are in the revolutionary side. Then
they change the true and everybody believed thar were
opposition death.

You tell me, RCTV is or not responsable?

[ChangoLoa]

28. One of them was from an opposition party

Marcos Rosales, a medicine school student from UNT. The 15 year old kid from the PSUV was killed too. The house of Omar Lares, an opposition politician, was put on fire. Violent groups attacked the school of economics and social studies in the ULA university, destroying archives, labs and one side of the building. Tell the whole story, you're not giving a real image.

[EFerrari]

29. Welcome to DU, Yuca.

:hi:

[EFerrari]

12. If anything, they've been more active since the President took office.

Or at least, their arm in the State Department has been. In Bolivia, in Venezuela, in Ecuador, Honduras. All the left leaning countries have seen an increase in US support for the right wing opposition. It's sort of disconcerting.

[WriteDown]

17. Obama has always despised Latin America...

:eyes:

[Bacchus39]

21. the invasion ordered by Obama will come any day now

the US is addicted to mangoes and arepas

[Wilms]

30. That's the ignorant rant used on the Haiti threads.

In VZ, it's oil.

Try to keep track of the threads you spam with insults and little else.

[maddezmom]

2. Vice-President Ramon Carrizalez wife resigned as well

VENEZUELAN Vice-President Ramon Carrizalez, who also holds the title of Defence Minister, has resigned for personal reasons.
"My resignation is not the result of any discrepancy with government decisions, and any other version about my reasons for resigning is false and malicious," Mr Carrizales said in a statement.

His resignation over alleged differences with leftist President Hugo Chavez had been rumoured since Saturday.

Mr Carrizalez's wife and Environment Minister, Yubiri Ortega, also resigned her post.

The couple were writing their resignation letters for Mr Chavez, the statement said.

more:http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/venezuela-vice-president-ramon-carrizalez-resigns/story-e6frf7lf-1225823573962

maybe one of them is sick or something. :shrug:

[EFerrari]

3. This story isn't technically LBN I think because I read it on Sunday night

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/26/world/americas/26briefs-VenezBrf.html

On the other hand, I haven't seen it posted here, either.

I hope there's nothing wrong with the minister or his wife.

[demoleft]

4. :) n/t

[EFerrari]

9. It's interesting. This article talks about the same demonstrations as this one does:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=4240106&mesg_id=4240106

Except in the new article, the suspension of RCTV is highlighted, not the other issues.

[maddezmom]

22. something seems to be going on:

Lat Am
Venezuela: Central Bank Chairman Resigns
Posted on26 January 2010 at 14:31. Tags: central bank, chairman, Hugo Chavez, quit, resign, vazquez orellana, Venezuela, venezuelan

Venezuela’s Central Bank Chairman, Eugenio Vasquez Orellana, resigned citing health problems, but the real motive would had been differences with the government of Hugo Chavez.

The new Minister of Economy, Finance and Planning, Jorge Giordani, have had major conflicts with the president of the Central Bank, which would be the main reason for his resignation.

Giordani would have Vasquez Orellana’s successor already in mind and that would be former Minister Jose Rojas, representative of Venezuela to the World Bank.

Vasquez Orellana was aide to Defense Minister and Vice president Colonel Ramon Carrizalez , who also resigned yesterday alleging also “strictly personal reasons”.

more: http://momento24.com/en/2010/01/26/venezuela-central-bank-chairman-resigns/

[EFerrari]

23. Great catch! Thank you.

I'm working a different story and hadn't seen that. :)

[Socal31]

8. Obviously a CIA backed mistranslation from a biased source...

[EFerrari]

10. It's a misleading headline. Did you read the article?

:)

[dipsydoodle]

18. The problem with the Beeb's links

is that not do they only show the time of last update they also have the odd habit of changing the headline title. Yes - they've just updated a story from a few days back.

As I've pointed out elsewhere and before - outside of the UK you can only access their world service and not our real McCoy / proper home site. That is easy to verify - see if you get any adverts. If you do then you've definatley not got our UK home pages - the BBC, which is a public corporation, are not allowed to advertise at all under their charter.

[EFerrari]

20. Ah! Good information to have, thanks.

:hi:

[Dave From Canada]

13. So basically King Hugo decides whether you stay in business or not. Better stay on his good side.

I hate that guy a little more every day.

[EFerrari]

14. Can you hate him any more? LOL

Six stations were suspended for breaking the law. Damn Venezuela for having laws and sh!t. Dictator!

[Posteritatis]

24. It's the law! That means it's automatically okay! (nt)

[EFerrari]

26. No, it means that this story has been framed to make one believe

Chavez acted illegally when nothing of the sort happened.

[YouTakeTheSkyway]

32. Right, but generally speaking, when tv or radio stations break the law they're FINED,

not forced off the airwaves. It's awfully difficult to believe that these punishments aren't politically motivated.

[Peace Patriot]

27. The coup station is trying to foment another coup. Good riddance to them!

I wish we had the sovereignty and power as a democratic people to get rid of a couple of predatory 'news' monopolies here.

The public airwaves should be operated in the public interest and be required to present a wide spectrum of political opinion and public interest programs. Big conglomerates and monopolies should be against the law especially as to use of the airwaves and cable that invade every home. The corpos have no inherent right to use the public airwaves, cable or any form of telecommunications. We license them. We can set the rules. I want some version of the "Fairness Doctrine" back here. It's time.

[YouTakeTheSkyway]

31. I'm curious though, as to why taking the station off the air

is the chosen route of punishment versus, say, fines like one would see in most countries. If it's not due to political revenge, than what's it due to?