Understanding the Chavez Strategy of Confrontation and Violence in Venezuela

As tensions continue to rise in Caracas and the President dictates the State apparatus to put down harshly any protests against him while at the same time encouraging his own followers to aggressiveness, the Editors of Veneconomy try to evidence and explain the how and why of what is going on. It is only possible to understand the events of the past few days if they are viewed through the eyes of a military, fascist Hugo Chávez, faithful disciple of the Argentine sociologist Norberto Ceresole.

Ceresole was a radical anti-Semite who believed in and supported the use of violence to polarize public opinion and bring about the wishes of the caudillo. Following Ceresole’s teachings, Chávez has undertaken a civilian-military campaign to demoralize and break up those who oppose the unconstitutional referendum on the reelection amendment ordered by the President.

On one front, the conventional forces being deployed in this campaign are the obscene militant participation of the National Electoral Council, the National Assembly, and the Supreme Tribunal of Justice, whose duty is, supposedly, to stand guarantors of the rights of ALL the country’s citizens and not just those of a political group.

The second front of this campaign consists of a simulation of a fourth generation war, where shock groups, such as Lina Ron’s, Alexis Vive’s or La Piedrita’s followers, bushwhack dissidents with the consent and encouragement of the authorities and the protection of the country’s police forces and military.

This Tuesday, the National Guard and the Metropolitan Police mounted a savage attack on students who were protesting against the amendment in front of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice building, following the President’s orders to teargas them, with the “good stuff,” and put them in prison.

On the third front of this campaign a psychological war is being waged that:

1) Lies steeped in government lies, among them assurances that the amendment is in accordance with the Constitution and the law and drafting the referendum question in convoluted manner that does not even specify the true purpose of the referendum, so as to manipulate and deceive the people.

2) Makes abusive use of propaganda employing State resources (in the Metro and other means of public transportation and in some government offices, loudspeakers torment users with pro-amendment slogans and jingles); and

3) Discredits adversaries, subjecting them to public scorn and hatred, as the President himself has done in the case of the political leaders and media representatives who allegedly met in
Puerto Rico, and as happened with the students accused of wanting to set fire to El Ávila National Park with a montage as “evidence” and when Molotov cocktails were planted in a truck transporting students.

VenEconomy is proud of and supports the valiant students who are firmly engaging in nonviolent opposition. It also calls on the population in general to say NO outright to this constitutional amendment.