VENEZUELA: Thousands of anti-Chavez protesters and pro-Chavez supporters take to the streets of Caracas to voice their opinions

Record ID: 321007

  • Title: VENEZUELA: Thousands of anti-Chavez protesters and pro-Chavez supporters take to the streets of Caracas to voice their opinions
  • Date: 24th January 2011
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PRO-CHAVEZ SUPPORTER JOSE VIZQUEL SAYING: "Today we are showing that we are a democratic front where the people are in the street supporting our commander and that this is a real Venezuelan participatory democracy." PEOPLE PLAYING DRUMS
  • Embargoed: 8th February 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of
  • Country: Venezuela
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVABPWLIY8026RE3EZBA3WCDZJ8J
  • Story Text: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's supporters came out en masse to listen to him speak as thousands of anti-Chavez protesters took to the streets to voice their opposing views.
    Thousands of anti-Chavez protesters and pro-government Chavez supporters took to the streets of Caracas on Sunday (January 23) to vociferously share their feelings about his government.
    Holding shirts with dirty words to describe their feelings for Chavez and parading down the street with huge maps depicting Venezuela chained and dripping in blood the opposition protesters made their feelings clear.
    "We feel very frustrated in a country where we they don't give you opportunities.," said protester Doris Uzcategui. "Where day to day we are depressed when we read the news and we try to find solutions for our lives and what we get is a lot of news that is very disheartening and they make you feel bad."
    "For freedom, for democracy and for free will for all those things that they have taken from us," said Jose Campos about why he had taken to the streets.
    Meanwhile, in another part of the capital, Chavez spoke before thousands of his supporters who were wearing the red caps and berets typical of partisans attending his rallies.
    "The world's extreme right wing united today in twenty cities around the world. The world against Chavez. Five guys came out in Madrid and in Miami. Even though CNN asked them to come out they asked everyone to come out so that the world could protest against the Venezuelan dictatorship," Chavez said.
    The South American OPEC member nation's socialist leader infuriated opposition parties who have called him a dictator for assuming fast-track powers for the next 18 months that will enable him to bypass the legislative body.
    "We are showing that we are a democratic front where the people are in the street supporting our commander and that this is a real Venezuelan participatory democracy," explained Jose Vizquel one of Chavez supporters.
    "He is the only president who is for the people and, well, here we are and we will continue to be for a socialist country or death," said Gloria Lugo matter of factly.
    A newly united opposition coalition won about half the popular vote at a September legislative election that took their seats in the National Assembly earlier this month, giving it 40 percent control of the parliament and a symbolic boost in its long and largely fruitless political battle against Chavez.
    Over the year-end holiday period, Chavez moved to further sideline the opposition's election gains by pushing a host of laws through the outgoing parliament to entrench socialism and boost state control in areas ranging from the Internet to banking deepening the chasm between the two factions.
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