By Carlos Aznarez on May 22, 2017
Man burnt alive in Venezuela showing just how far neoliberal forces are willing to go and still use the word ‘democracy’.Photo: Noticias Barquisimeto
The imperialist plan to inflame the most fascist sectors of Venezuela’s opposition to turn the streets of Caracas and other points of the country into something similar to the first days of the terrorist invasion in Syria, is still functioning at full throttle.
Day after day, war tactics unleashed on Bolivarian Venezuela (the most notorious ones being the economic and media war) are added to gut-wrenching violence that seems to be a trend among hordes of lumpen youth–which seems to be what opposition party People’s Will and other groups commanded by Leopoldo Lopez and Henrique Capriles Radonski have turned into.
The latest image of their work is of a young Chavista man set on fire, stabbed, and beaten with hate. Even after the fire ate away his clothes and burnt 80% of his body, there were still rabid opposition supporters beating him and preventing him from reaching a place where he could receive help.
That’s not a democratic opposition, much less a peaceful one, like Luis Almagro, the secretary of the OAS, keeps saying, along with local Presidents allied with Washington, mainly Mauricio Macri, Horacio Cartes and Pablo Kuscinsky (Temer is now too busy trying to avoid prison for corruption). This is simply the brutal face of what imperialism supports in each of the territories it tries to destroy and then conquer. The Middle East is the best example of this. They practice pure terrorism, the type that ISIS is practicing in Iraq, Libya and Syria, where atrocities are relentless.
This violent escalade will probably continue because Colombian paramilitary forces keep illegally entering the country and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and former president Alvaro Uribe Velez are united in the anti-Chavist crusade. It’s not surprising that US Republican senators and Donald Trump himself are advising Bogota in order to create favorable conditions for a potential final offensive against Nicolas Maduro’s government.
Everything is set to create a climate where all of Maduro’s calls to dialogue are ignored, including the government’s proposal to hold a Constituent Assembly, which was something the opposition demanded not long ago.
What they’re after, just like they have been in Syria against Bashar al-Assad, is to defeat, humiliate and destroy the legacy of 18 years of Chavist government.
In this complex scenario it’s surprising and admirable to see that, against all odds, the government is still using its power to maintain the social achievements; promoting the Missions that bring all sorts of services, from health to education, to all corners of Venezuela; building 1.6 million houses and giving them to those that need them the most. Meanwhile the Local Committees of Supply and Production (CLAP) keep bringing essential goods to the poor, who are suffering the most due to the economic war.
This whole plan of governing for the people, which is revolutionary, considering how things are in countries where neoliberalism took hold, is the fundamental reason for the continued support that the Chavist bases keep showing for Maduro.
The other element that the opposition hasn’t been able to break is the loyalty of the Armed Forces, and both blocs –the Armed Forces and the people– are the wall against which all of the putschist plans have crashed. It’s important for those who govern not to lose sight of this, since precisely the most militant Chavist neighborhoods and strongholds are calling for the situation to be solved with more decisiveness–not by falling for the violent provocations of the right but neither to the social-democratic siren songs that propose a form of Chavism that betrays the ideals of Chavez himself.
We also can’t rule out the possibility that, at any moment of this reactionary offensive, those who are directing the counter-insurgent plan may no longer be content with this level of violence and decide to invade the country from Colombia or another imperialist stronghold. And they might do it by outsourcing the intervention, like NATO did in the Middle East by equipping and funding the terrorists. In the Caribbean version of this plan, they will probably try to use the paramilitary forces of Santos and Uribe Velez. In this stage, no matter how strong-willed the resistance of the Chavist people and army, international solidarity in all of its variants will be indispensable–in all of its forms.
In this scenario, those of us throughout the continent who support Bolivarianism, Chavism, and anti-imperialism, must be ready to come to Venezuela’s aid. Especially considering everything that the people and government of Venezuela has done for the peoples of the continent, including the times they have selflessly provided aid for peoples in need or supported them against the blackmailing of the empire.
Therefore, we must self-critically analyze what we’ve done so far, and prioritize (like ALBA Movements have already done) actions to sustain the process led by Maduro and take to the streets every time there’s a call to support Venezuela and repudiate the crimes of the fascists that attack it.
We also need to unmask the false information disseminated by hegemonic media, and be alert against the attempts of the propaganda war to confuse and alienate those who support the left but may end up supporting the right when they speak of Venezuela. Absolutely no person who’s on the side of the people can ignore that if the Chavist government were to fall, the wave of terror and revenge would not only fall on the Venezuelan people but extend to all countries where the empire has its disciples.
The fate of the Patria Grande is deeply linked in this struggle between those who defend revolutionary, participatory democracy, and those who through fear try to implant fascism and hand the country over to transnational corporations.
The worldwide left cannot let the Venezuelan people down.
Source: Resumen Latinoamericano