[NYTr] Gollinger on Media Manipulation of Venezuela Events

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

sent by Steven Robinson

Chavez Code - Nov 7, 2007 
http://www.chavezcode.com/2007/11/media-manipulation-of-venezuela-events.html

Media Manipulation of Venezuela Events

by Eva Gollinger

This week has been pretty active in Venezuela, to say the least!! On the
ground, things are heating up with the campaign for the referendum on
the constitutional reform, which will take place on December 2, 2007.
The pro-reform folks are the "SI" (YES) block and the anti-reform and
opposition folks are "NO" this time around. On Sunday, we had a major
march in favor of the reform. There were tens of thousands of
pro-reform supporters in the streets of Caracas that marched 7 miles
from Parque del Este to Avenida Bolivar to hear President Chavez speak.
Most international media didn't report on that, but rather has spent
its time reporting on the minor opposition student protests that
continue to destabilize and provoke violence throughout the nation.

Today, Wednesday, November 7, there was an opposition student march to
the Supreme Court in Caracas to symbolically hand over a document
protesting the constitutional reform as unconstitutional to the members
of Venezuela's highest court. The students marched relatively
peacefully throughout the center of Caracas and a small commission of
students entered the Supreme Court, were received by the judges and
even had a chance to read a statement before the high court members
that was broadcast live on national television. This event went without
any violent incidents, unlike last week's opposition student march to
the National Elections Council (CNE) that resulted in students trying
to illegally chain themselves to the staircase inside the CNE
headquarters. That incident did end in some violence and obvious
reaction from state security forces, though no major injuries occurred.

After the march to the Supreme Court (TSJ), the oppositional students
returned to the Central University of Venezuela (UCV) and proceeded to
kidnap a group of approximately 60 pro-reform and pro-Chavez students,
including Libertad Velasco, one of the more well known leaders of the
revolutionary student movement. Since public universities have autonomy
over their security, state security forces were not able to enter
immediately to resolve the situation and rescue the hostages. Private
media, such as Globovision, reported that there was an "irregular
situation" at the UCV, and later showed images of what they termed
"pro-Chavez" supporters armed and firing at the oppositional students.
What they did not tell their viewers was that those oppositional
students had kidnapped a group of about 60 pro-Chavez students inside
the Social Work school of the UCV and the "armed" individuals that
entered the ground were members of Venezuela's Civil Protection unit,
that entered the UCV after almost an hour had passed, to rescue the
hostages. Images broadcast later on national television clearly show
the hostages running out of the building on the UCV campus once rescued
by the Civil Protection officers. Gunshots were fired up into the air
to ward off the violent kidnappers, not to injure them in any way.
Unfortunately, in the confrontations before the Civil Protection
officers were able to enter the UCV grounds, 9 students were injured,
one critically.

International media and wire services, such as Associated Press,
published this photograph:  and claimed that government forces are
repressing students in Venezuela.

Take it from someone on the ground who is closely monitoring all
events: The Venezuelan government is doing everything in its power to
allow these students to freely enjoy their rights to protest without
permitting them to destabilize the country, create chaos, and place in
danger the lives of citizens. These types of protests that these
students freely enjoy in Venezuela would NEVER, I repeat, NEVER be
permitted in the United States. There is just no way the US Government
or any city, state or county's police force would permit students to
take the streets and public spaces almost daily, throwing molotov
cocktails and bottles, as well as other debris, at the police, while
damaging public property. In the US, thousands of them would be jailed
and subjected to severe repression. Venezuela, on the other hand, is
overly permissive with these protests and despite the ample freedom
enjoyed by all sectors in this country, the international media
distorts the scenario and attempts to paint a portrayal of the
Venezuelan government as repressive. Repressive is the US government,
permissive is the Venezuelan.

Stay alert to the media manipulation and the growing threat of a
"colored revolution" (termed the "Marigold Revolution") in Venezuela
(like Ukraine, Serbia, Georgia, etc).