In recent weeks, a wave of violence has left 13 dead and 150 injured in Venezuela. Many misleading reports and images have been recycled in the international media, without verification, giving the impression of state-organised violence against peaceful protesters. Here we answer some frequently asked questions with facts, revealing a very different picture. (Version 2, Feb.27)
• What started the current wave of violence? On 22 January, a number of opposition leaders demanded “the ousting” (La Salida) of the elected Government of President Nicolas Maduro. Leopoldo Lopez, a right-wing politician, leads this faction of the Venezuelan opposition coalition and has said the aim is regime change: ”there should be a complete … change in those who are in power… It’s clear now that the problem isn’t just Maduro, it’s all the heads of the public powers who have kidnapped the state“. He added that this was only possible by “getting the people into the streets”
Source: http://www.venezuelasolidarity.co.uk/whatisreallygoingoninvenezuela/
*In Spanish: La means "The" and "Salida" means Exit. These two words can have different meanings like The Exit or The Ousting.
Opposition representatives state that the campaign has it's roots in a protest against insecurity in a Tachira State University when a female student was raped. They claimed that there was repression by the police there. But it's clear that the more hard-line and neo-fascist elements has co-opted the protests for the own end into a civil insurrection. But the real reason is that the trigger for insurrection, was the Enabling Act against the Economic War that has been ongoing since 2002. More specifically the Law for the Control of Fair Costs, Prices and Profits.
Mérida, 10th February 2014 (Venezuelanalysis.com) – The period allowed for businesses to adjust their prices to the new Fair Prices Law ended today, with the government planning a wave of inspections to ensure the legal measure is applied.
The Law for the Control of Fair Costs, Prices and Profits aims to prevent price speculation, product hoarding and other activities deemed to be “destabilising” the Venezuelan economy and contributing to on-going economic problems. Further, a maximum profit margin of 30% has been established across the economy to prevent companies from over-charging.
“From Monday, the someone ... who is hoarding and speculating will have the law enforced on them. No one has any excuse, because it [the law] has three weeks since it was published,” said President Nicolas Maduro over the weekend.
For the past year citizens have experienced high inflation and shortages in some basic goods, while the value of the dollar on the illegal market has increased to over twelve times the official value.
Source: http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/10343Despite active enforcement of such laws, the hard-liners of the opposition used this oppotunity to "protest" this law by using their "useful idiots". Most of the "useful idiots" of the insurrection are european, upper-middle/middle class Venezuelans, and students and the hot beds of violence are in opposition controlled areas or middle-class areas of European influence. And according to reports, they're under 2000. A minority of course. But add to the fact that they're building blockades, committing crimes of arson, property damage, assault, and violent disorder and you have a formidable brigade of "useful idiots".
But what about the people who are caught in the middle of these hot beds of insurrection? Many of them who voted for the opposition but apolitical and want to live their lives? They can't get to work, or have goods in stores primarily because of the blockades.
One practically tragic case needs no words to describe: But it involves a elderly man.
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