Chavez Marchers Occupy Venezuela Opposition Bastion

[Judi Lynn]

Chavez Marchers Occupy Venezuela Opposition Bastion
Sat December 6, 2003 01:29 PM ET

(Page 1 of 2)
By Pascal Fletcher
CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of supporters of leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez marched Saturday in Caracas, storming into a square seen as an opposition sanctuary and attacking an anti-Chavez mayor.

Local police stood by helplessly as the pro-Chavez mob, yelling "Hey, hey, Chavez's here to stay," surged into Altamira Square in east Caracas, a bastion of hard-line opposition to the populist president who faces a possible referendum on his five-year rule.

Hurling firecrackers and shouting "The squares belong to the people and not to the oligarchy," Chavez supporters mobbed the local district mayor, Leopoldo Lopez, pelting him with stones, sticks and garbage. He was hustled away by bodyguards.

"They arrived at Altamira Square and started damaging it," Lopez, a critic of Chavez, told reporters. The square was the scene of a peaceful rebellion against the president by more than 100 military officers in October last year, and was considered an opposition stronghold. (snip/...)

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On edit:

It's going to have to take time to get the real story on this. It looks as if the writer has exposed his own bias. I'm fairly sure the "rabble" wasn't a drunken mob, and there was no reason to not include the additional information about WHY there has been economic upheaval, INCLUDING the fact that opposition factory owners, etc. SHUT DOWN THEIR BUSINESSES at times to throw a wrench into the works.

Also, as a DU'er here, who has been in Venezuela a LOT explained to us in April, their "polls" are worthless, as the only people they can reach by phone for their "polls" are the very few, comparatively, who even HAVE phones. 80% of the people are living in poverty in Venezuela. REALLY DEEP POVERTY. No phones in their homes.

[durutti]

1. Ah!

If only Americans had the guts to do this kind of stuff.

[mobuto]

2. Oh yeah

,Chavez supporters mobbed the local district mayor, Leopoldo Lopez, pelting him with stones, sticks and garbage.

Just what we need -- partisan street mobs. Just the way to raise the level of discourse in this country. Where do you suppose we can find a Pisitratus?

[markses]

7. Or a Kostunica, yeah?

;-)

[rudeboy666]

3. Yes, but

....you could already hear the accusations of brown-shirt(or Stalinist) thugs violently attacking the opposition.

[Minstrel Boy]

4. agreed

"The squares belong to the people and not to the oligarchy"

Anyone who tut-tuts that sentiment, I have no patience for.

[Say_What]

5. While the opposition (golpistas) continues to whine....

<>

Supporters of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez fill Caracas' main avenue, Bolivar at a rally commemorating the fifth anniversary of the former paratrooper's first presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2003. (AP Photo/Leslie Mazoch)

[markses]

6. At this point it seems pretty clear

If the "opposition" (the plutocrats and their lackeys) suceed in removing Chavez by their continued fraud and chicanery, there will be a bloodbath in Venezuela, and the plutocrat criminals will have to out-do their buddy Pinochet a hundred fold to suppress the people.