{"id":107952,"date":"2014-02-15T08:06:00","date_gmt":"2014-02-15T08:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/?guid=a851ee3ff5790836b2afb96a62bbf9cf"},"modified":"2014-02-15T08:06:00","modified_gmt":"2014-02-15T08:06:00","slug":"venezuelan-fascists-want-regime-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/editorials\/venezuelan-fascists-want-regime-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Venezuelan Fascists Want Regime Change"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\"><b>Venezuelan Fascists Want Regime Change<\/b><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">by Stephen Lendman<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Ongoing street violence isn\u2019t happenstance. It didn\u2019t erupt spontaneously. Dark forces planned it. On Friday it continued. More on this below.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Washington&#8217;s dirty hands are involved. Longstanding US plans call for regime change.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Obama deplores democracy. He tolerates none at home or abroad. He wants Bolivarianism crushed. He wants social justice ended.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">He wants pro-Western puppet governance replacing sovereign Venezuelan independence. He wants control of Venezuela&#8217;s vast oil reserves.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">On Thursday, President Nicolas Maduro blamed fascists for stoking violence. &#8220;The violent events on Wednesday had only one political intention,&#8221; he said.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Anti-Bolivarian extremists &#8220;want to defeat a legitimate government, protected by legitimacy and constitutionality.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;I will tell these fascist fugitives&#8230;you are responsible for violence.&#8221; Masterminds and perpetrators will be arrested, he said. They&#8217;ll be brought to justice.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Maduro highlighted security force efforts, adding:<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;I have raised the path of tolerance, dialogue, peace, but from the ranks of the right has arisen violence&#8230;(It tested the) patience of the Bolivarian National Police, whom I congratulate for (their) work.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Maduro instructed National Guard forces to protect all Venezuelans. Beware of &#8220;Miami fascists,&#8221; he warned.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">They&#8217;re manipulating people. They&#8217;re &#8220;pull(ing) the strings of those groups that are now in the streets.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Nuestra Tele Noticas 24 Horas (NYN24) is an international 24-hour news channel. It&#8217;s available throughout Latin and Central America. Direct TV carries it in America.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">On Wednesday, Maduro ordered it off air in Venezuela. Its broadcasts were inflammatory. They misreported. They expressed anti-government sentiment.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Maduro &#8220;denounce(d) AFP for manipulating information.&#8221; He accused them of &#8220;wanting to create a very similar climate to 2002. (He) asked the information minister to speak clearly with their correspondents.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">He accused dominant Venezuelan corporate media of misrepresenting what&#8217;s happening. He denied false claims about police suppressing peaceful protests.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Fascist elements stoked violence for days. &#8220;(W)e&#8217;ve had a lot of patience with them,&#8221; said Maduro.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Further violence won&#8217;t be tolerated, he said. &#8220;Should I allow them to burn, to destroy this country,&#8221; he asked?&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">His top priority is restoring order. It&#8217;s protecting all Venezuelans. It&#8217;s preventing a 2002 coup repeat. It stopping elements inciting it.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Anti-government media promote violence. They did so in days before the April 2002 coup.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Venezuelan corporate controlled Venevision, Globovision, Televen and RCTV suspended regular programming.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">They replaced it with anti-Chavez propaganda. They called on Venezuelans to take to the streets. They said do it &#8220;for freedom and democracy&#8230;No one will defeat us.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">They urged Venezuelans to rebel. They knew in advance when the coup was planned. A day ahead, General Nestor Gonzales got nationwide air time. Major corporate broadcasters cooperated.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">He demanded Chavez step down. He said he&#8217;d be forcibly removed otherwise. The day after the coup, the dominant corporate media revealed their involvement.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Venevision featured coup plotters on air. They thanked corporate media channels for support. Coup leader Pedro Carmona used Venevision facilities as a &#8220;bunker.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">It was a staging area for what followed. It was initiated on April 11, 2002. Carmona was seen leaving Venevision for the Miraflores presidential palace.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">He did so to replace Chavez as president. He signed the infamous Carmona Decree. It named him head of state. It crushed democracy. It dissolved the National Assembly and Supreme Court.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">It annulled Venezuela&#8217;s Constitution. It ended Bolivarianism. It replaced it with fascist extremism. It did so in league with Washington.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Carmona&#8217;s tenure was short-lived. It lasted 48 hours. Mass Chavista activism restored Chavez to office.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Is history repeating now? Are coup plans unfolding? Are dominant Venezuelan media involved? Did they have advance knowledge of what&#8217;s happening?<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Is something more sinister than street protests in play? They&#8217;re violent. They&#8217;re destabilizing. They continue. Participant numbers are too small to matter. So far at least.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">The vast majority of Venezuelans oppose them. On April 13, 2002, hundreds of thousands of Chavez supporters rallied. They took to the streets.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">They demanded his reinstatement. They did so while dominant TV channels aired old movies, cartoons and other distracting programming.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">While ongoing, coup plotting got no coverage. Not on corporate TV. Not in dominant broadsheets. State television was suspended for 48 hours.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Venezuelans were on their own to act. They did so until conditions normalized. It was an impressive moment in Venezuelan history. Will they respond again now if needed?<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Bolivarianism is too important to lose. So is sovereign independent freedom. Fascists want democracy crushed. They want social justice ended. They want hardline rule restored.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Their ability to achieve a successful coup is hugely constrained. It&#8217;s possible. It&#8217;s unlikely. Maduro knows what happened earlier.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">He&#8217;s instituting all measures possible to prevent it. He announced a Peace and Coexistence Plan. He wants it serving all Venezuelans responsibly. He involved state governors and cabinet ministers to implement it.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">He ordered the arrest of opposition fascist leader Leopoldo Lopez. A previous article discussed him. He stoked street violence. He barely stopped short of urging national insurrection.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">A warrant was issued for his arrest. He&#8217;s charged with murder, terrorism, conspiracy, incitement to crime, setting fire to a public building, damaging public property, public intimidation, and inflicting serious injuries.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">He bears much responsibility for what&#8217;s ongoing. He threatens Venezuelan freedom. So do other likeminded extremists.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Maduro accused Lopez of stoking violence. He compared him to 2002 coup plotters.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;There you have the face of fascism,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I tell these fugitives from justice. Give yourselves up.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;They should go behind bars,&#8221; Maduro added. Lopez remains at large. Colleagues said he spent Thursday with advisers.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">He challenged Maduro via Twitter. &#8220;Thanks for all your shows of solidarity,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I&#8217;m fine. I&#8217;m still in Venezuela, and I&#8217;ll stay in the streets. Strength!&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">On Thursday, violent protests continued. Interior Minister Miguel Rodriguez reported four deaths. Another 66 were wounded.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Dozens were arrested. Rodriquez accused them of &#8220;burn(ing) patrol (vehicles), attack(ing) police officers, and committing (extensive) vandalism.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;The human rights of all detainees are being respected,&#8221; he said. &#8220;(W)hen they go to trial, they should explain the reasons for their actions&#8230;(They&#8217;ll be) punished by the weight of the law.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Investigations are ongoing, he added. Efforts are being made to &#8220;determine as quickly as possible who is responsible&#8221; for instigating violence.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Late Thursday, things were calm. Perhaps before the next storm. Authorities are assessing damage. Rodriguez urged Venezuelans to be vigilant. &#8220;(B)e alert to destabilizing plans,&#8221; he warned.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">He expects fascist elements plan more violence. He said suspects arrested said so. Opposition leaders got funding and training from abroad, he added.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">He left little doubt where from. It bears repeating. Washington&#8217;s dirty hands are involved. Maduro referenced &#8220;Miami fascists.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Strings are pulled in Washington. Obama wants hardline governance replacing Maduro. How far he&#8217;s willing to go remains to be seen.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">On Thursday, National Assembly (AN) Committee on Domestic Policy members urged lawmakers to investigate Lopez. He heads the hard-right Voluntad Popular (Popular Will) party.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">They want AN member Maria Corina Machado&#8217;s possible involvement in street violence examined.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">She&#8217;s a right-wing extremist. She&#8217;s a longtime anti-Chavista. She signed the infamous Carmona Decree.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Evidence shows her involvement in other destabilizing schemes. Washington provides generous financial support.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">She urged anti-government elements to stay in the streets. She called violent protesters peaceful. She blamed police for their crimes.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) lawmaker Jose Javier Morales said:<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;While the government is promoting measures to ensure the welfare of all Venezuelans, (Lopez and Machado) generate chaos and crisis.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;Yesterday they inspired the people to embark on this wave of violence.&#8221; He suggested it resembles what happened in 2002.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;It&#8217;s time for the state to act against these acts of vandalism,&#8221; he added.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">What happens going forward bears close watching. Chavistas support Maduro. PSUV youth wing organzer Sonny Sanchez said activists will stay in the streets.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">They&#8217;ll do so in solidarity with Maduro. They oppose &#8220;fascists, Nazis (and) terrorists&#8230;(They&#8217;re manipulated) to create chaos in the country,&#8221; he said.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Opposition leader\/former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles wrongfully accused security forces and Chavistas of stoking violence.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Anti-government fascist elements bear full responsibility. Maduro won&#8217;t tolerate it, he said.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;I swear by my people that there will be justice for the blood shed in Venezuela today,&#8221; he stressed.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;I swear that I will do justice in Venezuela. I want peace and justice. The Bolivarian Revolution will triumph by way of the Constitution.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">He charged two other prominent opposition figures with involement. Fernando Gerbasi is a former ambassador to Colombia. Mario Ivan Carratu was a president Carlos Andres Perez military chief.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Cuba expressed solidarity with Maduro. An official statement condemned street violence. It blamed fascist plotters wanting him ousted.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;The government of Ecuador&#8230;express(ed) its full support to President Nicolas Maduro against these acts of violence organized by the opposition.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Bolivia&#8217;s Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca expressed &#8220;total rejection of any attempt of destabilization in Venezuela.&#8221; Argentina urged &#8220;an investigation to determine responsibilities.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Maduro said &#8220;(t)here will be no coup d&#8217;etat in Venezuela, you can rest assured. Democracy will continue, and the revolution will continue.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;I have given clear instructions to state security agencies to secure the country&#8217;s main cities. Anyone who goes out to carry out violence will be arrested.&#8221; Order will be restored, he added.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Bolivarianism is resilient. It survived numerous US destabilizing schemes. It&#8217;s institutionalized. It&#8217;s part of Venezuelan culture.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">It has strong popular support. It won&#8217;t wane and die. Venezuelans won&#8217;t let it. They want no part of returning to their ugly past.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">They enjoy benefits too important to lose. Constitutional law mandates what Americans can&#8217;t imagine.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Major problems remain. Maduro promised to address them. He represents all Venezuelans fairly. He won&#8217;t tolerate disruptive fascist violence.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">He&#8217;s committed to restoring calm and stability. It bears repeating. He has popular support to do so.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">His new book is titled &#8220;Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">http:\/\/www.claritypress.com\/LendmanII.html<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">http:\/\/www.progressiveradionetwork.com\/the-progressive-news-hour<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div><b>Venezuelan Fascists Want Regime Change<\/b><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>by Stephen Lendman<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Ongoing street violence isn&rsquo;t happenstance. It didn&rsquo;t erupt spontaneously. Dark forces planned it. On Friday it continued. More on this below.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Washington&#8217;s dirty hands are involved. Longstanding US plans call for regime change.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Obama deplores democracy. He tolerates none at home or abroad. He wants Bolivarianism crushed. He wants social justice ended.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He wants pro-Western puppet governance replacing sovereign Venezuelan independence. He wants control of Venezuela&#8217;s vast oil reserves.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>On Thursday, President Nicolas Maduro blamed fascists for stoking violence. &#8220;The violent events on Wednesday had only one political intention,&#8221; he said.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Anti-Bolivarian extremists &#8220;want to defeat a legitimate government, protected by legitimacy and constitutionality.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;I will tell these fascist fugitives&#8230;you are responsible for violence.&#8221; Masterminds and perpetrators will be arrested, he said. They&#8217;ll be brought to justice.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Maduro highlighted security force efforts, adding:<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;I have raised the path of tolerance, dialogue, peace, but from the ranks of the right has arisen violence&#8230;(It tested the) patience of the Bolivarian National Police, whom I congratulate for (their) work.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Maduro instructed National Guard forces to protect all Venezuelans. Beware of &#8220;Miami fascists,&#8221; he warned.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They&#8217;re manipulating people. They&#8217;re &#8220;pull(ing) the strings of those groups that are now in the streets.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Nuestra Tele Noticas 24 Horas (NYN24) is an international 24-hour news channel. It&#8217;s available throughout Latin and Central America. Direct TV carries it in America.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>On Wednesday, Maduro ordered it off air in Venezuela. Its broadcasts were inflammatory. They misreported. They expressed anti-government sentiment.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Maduro &#8220;denounce(d) AFP for manipulating information.&#8221; He accused them of &#8220;wanting to create a very similar climate to 2002. (He) asked the information minister to speak clearly with their correspondents.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He accused dominant Venezuelan corporate media of misrepresenting what&#8217;s happening. He denied false claims about police suppressing peaceful protests.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Fascist elements stoked violence for days. &#8220;(W)e&#8217;ve had a lot of patience with them,&#8221; said Maduro.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Further violence won&#8217;t be tolerated, he said. &#8220;Should I allow them to burn, to destroy this country,&#8221; he asked?&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>His top priority is restoring order. It&#8217;s protecting all Venezuelans. It&#8217;s preventing a 2002 coup repeat. It stopping elements inciting it.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Anti-government media promote violence. They did so in days before the April 2002 coup.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Venezuelan corporate controlled Venevision, Globovision, Televen and RCTV suspended regular programming.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They replaced it with anti-Chavez propaganda. They called on Venezuelans to take to the streets. They said do it &#8220;for freedom and democracy&#8230;No one will defeat us.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They urged Venezuelans to rebel. They knew in advance when the coup was planned. A day ahead, General Nestor Gonzales got nationwide air time. Major corporate broadcasters cooperated.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He demanded Chavez step down. He said he&#8217;d be forcibly removed otherwise. The day after the coup, the dominant corporate media revealed their involvement.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Venevision featured coup plotters on air. They thanked corporate media channels for support. Coup leader Pedro Carmona used Venevision facilities as a &#8220;bunker.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It was a staging area for what followed. It was initiated on April 11, 2002. Carmona was seen leaving Venevision for the Miraflores presidential palace.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He did so to replace Chavez as president. He signed the infamous Carmona Decree. It named him head of state. It crushed democracy. It dissolved the National Assembly and Supreme Court.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It annulled Venezuela&#8217;s Constitution. It ended Bolivarianism. It replaced it with fascist extremism. It did so in league with Washington.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Carmona&#8217;s tenure was short-lived. It lasted 48 hours. Mass Chavista activism restored Chavez to office.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Is history repeating now? Are coup plans unfolding? Are dominant Venezuelan media involved? Did they have advance knowledge of what&#8217;s happening?<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Is something more sinister than street protests in play? They&#8217;re violent. They&#8217;re destabilizing. They continue. Participant numbers are too small to matter. So far at least.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The vast majority of Venezuelans oppose them. On April 13, 2002, hundreds of thousands of Chavez supporters rallied. They took to the streets.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They demanded his reinstatement. They did so while dominant TV channels aired old movies, cartoons and other distracting programming.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>While ongoing, coup plotting got no coverage. Not on corporate TV. Not in dominant broadsheets. State television was suspended for 48 hours.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Venezuelans were on their own to act. They did so until conditions normalized. It was an impressive moment in Venezuelan history. Will they respond again now if needed?<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Bolivarianism is too important to lose. So is sovereign independent freedom. Fascists want democracy crushed. They want social justice ended. They want hardline rule restored.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Their ability to achieve a successful coup is hugely constrained. It&#8217;s possible. It&#8217;s unlikely. Maduro knows what happened earlier.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He&#8217;s instituting all measures possible to prevent it. He announced a Peace and Coexistence Plan. He wants it serving all Venezuelans responsibly. He involved state governors and cabinet ministers to implement it.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He ordered the arrest of opposition fascist leader Leopoldo Lopez. A previous article discussed him. He stoked street violence. He barely stopped short of urging national insurrection.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>A warrant was issued for his arrest. He&#8217;s charged with murder, terrorism, conspiracy, incitement to crime, setting fire to a public building, damaging public property, public intimidation, and inflicting serious injuries.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He bears much responsibility for what&#8217;s ongoing. He threatens Venezuelan freedom. So do other likeminded extremists.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Maduro accused Lopez of stoking violence. He compared him to 2002 coup plotters.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;There you have the face of fascism,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I tell these fugitives from justice. Give yourselves up.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;They should go behind bars,&#8221; Maduro added. Lopez remains at large. Colleagues said he spent Thursday with advisers.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He challenged Maduro via Twitter. &#8220;Thanks for all your shows of solidarity,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I&#8217;m fine. I&#8217;m still in Venezuela, and I&#8217;ll stay in the streets. Strength!&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>On Thursday, violent protests continued. Interior Minister Miguel Rodriguez reported four deaths. Another 66 were wounded.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Dozens were arrested. Rodriquez accused them of &#8220;burn(ing) patrol (vehicles), attack(ing) police officers, and committing (extensive) vandalism.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;The human rights of all detainees are being respected,&#8221; he said. &#8220;(W)hen they go to trial, they should explain the reasons for their actions&#8230;(They&#8217;ll be) punished by the weight of the law.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Investigations are ongoing, he added. Efforts are being made to &#8220;determine as quickly as possible who is responsible&#8221; for instigating violence.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Late Thursday, things were calm. Perhaps before the next storm. Authorities are assessing damage. Rodriguez urged Venezuelans to be vigilant. &#8220;(B)e alert to destabilizing plans,&#8221; he warned.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He expects fascist elements plan more violence. He said suspects arrested said so. Opposition leaders got funding and training from abroad, he added.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He left little doubt where from. It bears repeating. Washington&#8217;s dirty hands are involved. Maduro referenced &#8220;Miami fascists.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Strings are pulled in Washington. Obama wants hardline governance replacing Maduro. How far he&#8217;s willing to go remains to be seen.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>On Thursday, National Assembly (AN) Committee on Domestic Policy members urged lawmakers to investigate Lopez. He heads the hard-right Voluntad Popular (Popular Will) party.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They want AN member Maria Corina Machado&#8217;s possible involvement in street violence examined.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>She&#8217;s a right-wing extremist. She&#8217;s a longtime anti-Chavista. She signed the infamous Carmona Decree.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Evidence shows her involvement in other destabilizing schemes. Washington provides generous financial support.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>She urged anti-government elements to stay in the streets. She called violent protesters peaceful. She blamed police for their crimes.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) lawmaker Jose Javier Morales said:<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;While the government is promoting measures to ensure the welfare of all Venezuelans, (Lopez and Machado) generate chaos and crisis.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;Yesterday they inspired the people to embark on this wave of violence.&#8221; He suggested it resembles what happened in 2002.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;It&#8217;s time for the state to act against these acts of vandalism,&#8221; he added.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>What happens going forward bears close watching. Chavistas support Maduro. PSUV youth wing organzer Sonny Sanchez said activists will stay in the streets.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They&#8217;ll do so in solidarity with Maduro. They oppose &#8220;fascists, Nazis (and) terrorists&#8230;(They&#8217;re manipulated) to create chaos in the country,&#8221; he said.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Opposition leader\/former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles wrongfully accused security forces and Chavistas of stoking violence.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Anti-government fascist elements bear full responsibility. Maduro won&#8217;t tolerate it, he said.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;I swear by my people that there will be justice for the blood shed in Venezuela today,&#8221; he stressed.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;I swear that I will do justice in Venezuela. I want peace and justice. The Bolivarian Revolution will triumph by way of the Constitution.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He charged two other prominent opposition figures with involement. Fernando Gerbasi is a former ambassador to Colombia. Mario Ivan Carratu was a president Carlos Andres Perez military chief.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Cuba expressed solidarity with Maduro. An official statement condemned street violence. It blamed fascist plotters wanting him ousted.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;The government of Ecuador&#8230;express(ed) its full support to President Nicolas Maduro against these acts of violence organized by the opposition.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Bolivia&#8217;s Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca expressed &#8220;total rejection of any attempt of destabilization in Venezuela.&#8221; Argentina urged &#8220;an investigation to determine responsibilities.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Maduro said &#8220;(t)here will be no coup d&#8217;etat in Venezuela, you can rest assured. Democracy will continue, and the revolution will continue.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;I have given clear instructions to state security agencies to secure the country&#8217;s main cities. Anyone who goes out to carry out violence will be arrested.&#8221; Order will be restored, he added.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Bolivarianism is resilient. It survived numerous US destabilizing schemes. It&#8217;s institutionalized. It&#8217;s part of Venezuelan culture.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It has strong popular support. It won&#8217;t wane and die. Venezuelans won&#8217;t let it. They want no part of returning to their ugly past.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They enjoy benefits too important to lose. Constitutional law mandates what Americans can&#8217;t imagine.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Major problems remain. Maduro promised to address them. He represents all Venezuelans fairly. He won&#8217;t tolerate disruptive fascist violence.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He&#8217;s committed to restoring calm and stability. It bears repeating. He has popular support to do so.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>His new book is titled &#8220;Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>http:\/\/www.claritypress.com\/LendmanII.html<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div>http:\/\/www.progressiveradionetwork.com\/the-progressive-news-hour<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1217,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[461],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-107952","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-editorials"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107952","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1217"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107952"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107952\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107952"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107952"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}