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Unassertive student’s demonstrations ended up in violence (restored)
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by rahul | November 7, 2007 at 04:38 pm
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the government rejected today’s violence. He then explained disenchanted opposition students caused them. On their return from SJT, they confronted pro government students at UCV. Higher Education Minister, Luis Acuña suggested, the government might enter UCV if its authorities are unable to overcome violence. Such statement ignited political debate as UCV and some other Venezuelan universities enjoy legal inviolability of their campus. Only their own police officers can control order. President Hugo Chavez said this afternoon at a rally in Carabobo State that he was committed to the proposed reform of the Venezuelan constitution. Chavez added that as the referendum day approaches, a minority could not stop it. To this day, there are already 35 political organizations competing for their views on the Referendum, which is expected to take place on December 2nd, 2007. Sixteen organizations favour it while 19 reject the proposed draft constitution. The Venezuelan Electoral Body, CNE, will be funding some of their campaings.
thanks for your comment. You are very much welcome to point out your views on my stories. Today, opposition students have also staged demonstration in Tachira, Ansoategui and Lara states in the countryside.
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />Sources: Globovison, VTV, El Universal, CNN,Aljazeera
Related stories: Venezuelan opposition students failed to stop constitutional reform (updated) , Ex Defence Minister rejects Venezuelan reform (updated), Understanding constitutional reform in Venezuela (a background), Venezuelan opposition students protest in Caracas (updated)
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (12)
at 16:50 on November 7th, 2007
rahul, an important development thanks for posting.
at 17:22 on November 7th, 2007
Excuse me for missing this but what is unassertive? There were 80,000 unassertive protesters? And the Students were heavily guarded? is this a joke? and the source is a pro Chavez propaganda outlet. This is my opinion but this seems like some pro Chavez piece. Unassertive would mean they didn't show up but if you show up I think that would be assertive. These students are marching for their freedom does anyone ask who started the violence in Burma? or Pakistan?
at 17:49 on November 7th, 2007
mpress, thanks for your comment. You are very much welcome to point out your views on my stories.
at 17:56 on November 7th, 2007
No problem Rahul. I hope that the people of Venezuela do not end up like the people in Cuba....With one dictator for life and no choice as to their future.
at 20:04 on November 7th, 2007
Why do you think they (we) were unassertive? I guess you don't fully understand the proposal of the student movement, the movement wants the referendum to be postponed so the people could get a chance to actually know the full extent of the reform and it's consequences before voting for it. It is true that the constitution puts a 30 day limit after the National Assembly approves the project, butt says the same about the revocatory referendum against chavez, 30 days, but it took around a year for it to happen, there were many arguments, from the technical, to the same that the students use now, the right of information of the people, they have the right to fully understand the process.
It's not easy for an average working venezuelan to in 30 days read 69 articles (some quite long) 15 transitory designations, analyze them and compare them to the originals. The working venezuelan wakes up very early in the morning, catch a over crowded bus to get to his workplace with heavy traffic and long commutes, work hard so to not get too affected by the inflation, try to get one or two drinks with his buddies to clear his mind if the problems with how things are, but get home as soon as possible, because of the terrible insecurity. And if he can, probably tries to search for the ridiculously scarce milk for his kids, since probably his also working wife couldn't find any (or eggs or sugar or chicken). At night that's the only time he's got to spend with his family, not much time for all of that.
I invite you to read what I think of all of this in my comment to this article: Masked men shoot-pro democracy Venezuela rally
More info is coming out as well as the name of one of the gunman. Also, a state-owned network isn't the most impartial source for topics like this wouldn't you think? AP AFP or any organization's photographers and reporters that were there I think would be better.
at 20:27 on November 7th, 2007
One of the gunmans name is Jose Felix Valero, he appears on different recordings (some amateur) with a gun. He later appeared on VTV, a government-owned TV network talking about the "awful shooting" in the Central University.
at 07:16 on November 8th, 2007
good stuff, rahul.
at 08:12 on November 8th, 2007
This is a really scary and important story. Keep up the reporting!
at 08:39 on November 8th, 2007
Also, I wonder if the author of the story meant 'nonviolent' or 'peaceful' as opposed to 'unassertive'?
at 10:34 on November 8th, 2007
No, he means it. Apparently 80000 students peacefully marching a 4.5 kilometers rally and back with no incident, and successfully present their views and legal recourse for the postposing of the referendum isn't assertive.
The state-owned media, and the government insists that the students wanted to cause the violence, if so, with that huge amount of people they could have done A LOT in the center of the city. There were more than enough policemen and national guardsmen to attack if they wanted, as the government officials claimed many times prior to yesterday. But none of that happened, when returning to the UCV the now much smaller number of students were attacked by Chavez supporters with rocks, tear gas and guns, as the video and photos show.
At this moment most of the armed gunmen have been identified or at least have clear pictures or video showing their face, why none of them are being arrested, they opened fire against other people, it's clearly seen on video footage, they at the very least should be in preventive custody. Why did the huge contingent of police outside the university allow armed gunmen in motorcycles without license plates inside and out?
On saturday the student Movement will probably make a rally to the National Fiscally to present video- and photographic proofs of the armed chavez supporters, some already with their names and at least a couple of those that work in the government. Amnesty International is going to investigate the incident
I have wrote a lot about this incident, including clarifications and other stuff that are largely unknown, on another story, but I feel it would be questionable to just copy it here as well, so please take a look to Masked men shoot-pro democracy Venezuela rally
at 10:40 on November 8th, 2007
Andres thank you for your coverage. I am not a political person but we live in a time were many people support tyrants such as Fidel and his political offspring Chavez. They will never cover the Venezuelan students fairly. So young Venezuelan students will have 2 battles, the battle for freedom as Chavez takes it away and the battle against leftsist journalists who will as you can see blame the students for starting the violence. Chavez knows who shot into the crowds but you will never see them arrested because they work for him.
at 11:27 on November 8th, 2007
With all due respect, the situation in venezuela is not a matter of Right vs Left, it would be too simple. I myself am more to the left and the Student Movement includes people fighting for the venezuelan democracy from virtually all political tendencies, many not feeling identified by any in particular.
It's a matter of democracy against dictatorship, civism against militarism, plurality against only one approved view, civil liberties against repression active nonviolence against hate and intolerance, alternability against unlimited reelections . The Student Movement criticized violence coming from any where, and has admitted and criticized it wen it comes from some students, The students talk of inclusion, pluralism, freedom of press speech and thought; wile Chavez and other government officials only talk in terms of "those fascists sons of moms and dads" destroying the east of Caracas and not leaven two stones in place, socialist battalions, battlefields, conflict and war
Just recently a regional office of the Venezuelan Communist party almost gut burn down because not fully aligning with chavez. Retired general and ex-minister of defense Baduel, who saved Chavez in a coup attempt in 2002, vigorously criticized the constitutional reform project. Pompello Marquez, and 85 years old long time Communist and ex-guerilla fighter was attacked in a forum against the reform project, and examples like this are by the hundreds, many groups like MAS (movement towards socialism) and the radical group Bandera Roja (Red Flag) turned against Chavez (from being key supporters) in the firsts years of his almost 9 years in power (current term will end in 2012).