Ableton Forum

Clashes before Caracas TV closure

Police have used water cannon on the streets of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, ahead of the closure of an opposition-aligned state TV station.
Supporters and opponents of President Hugo Chavez' decision both gathered in the hours before Radio Caracas TV (RCTV) was due to go off air.

Emotional opponents marched in the streets, while supporters massed in a city park.

Mr Chavez said RCTV tried to undermine his government and needed replacing...."

(other excerpts)

""That television station became a threat to the country so I decided not to renew the licence because it's my responsibility," Mr Chavez was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

"I agree with what's happening," one woman told the BBC. "We have to support our president. They went too far and they showed him no respect. It was too much."

read the rest here

It's worse than that. Chavez is taking the privately-owned station over and replacing the programming with his state run propaganda. In spite of all the billions in petrodollars he's siphoning off and spending on Russian armaments, can't he spare some chump change and build a new TV station of his own? Why does he have to turn the opposition channel off? aren't there enough radio frequencies in the airwaves to accommodate dissenting opinions? Not in Chavez' "utopian" world vision.

The official reason given by the Chavez administration is that the station was in violation of "article 29" of Chavez' newly crafted "constitution" what says that opposition to his rule is not tolerated and shall be terminated- decisively!

btw- this self-proclaimed "champion of the poor" has just made 5,000 people jobless by this act.

simpleton wrote:It's worse than that. Chavez is taking the privately-owned station over and replacing the programming with his state run propaganda. In spite of all the billions in petrodollars he's siphoning off and spending on Russian armaments, can't he spare some chump change and build a new TV station of his own? Why does he have to turn the opposition channel off? aren't there enough radio frequencies in the airwaves to accommodate dissenting opinions? Not in Chavez' "utopian" world vision.

The official reason given by the Chavez administration is that the station was in violation of "article 29" of Chavez' newly crafted "constitution" what says that opposition to his rule is not tolerated and shall be terminated- decisively!

btw- this self-proclaimed "champion of the poor" has just made 5,000 people jobless by this act.

well give them a month or two then call them poor

then he can be their champion !

I've been saying it all along, Venezuala will collapse under this dictator; all the signs are in place, just let nature take its course...

Isn't this the station that tried to incite a coup d'etat?

gonna employ FOX to take over no doubt.
They're experts in propaganda

First of all, the people is not unemployed. The channel didn't close. What happened is that the contract for broadcasting on the VHF waves on Venezuela, ended for RCTV. They still can broadcast through cable and satellite. What Mr. Chavez did dany the renewal of this contract. Smart move huh Mr. Chavez?

Also the new Chavez' Channel has right to broadcast through RCTV's antennas, without paying anything to them... (another autoritarian measure).

Anyways, what they say about people were having a party for the closing of the channel, is not true at all.

What happened is the following:

The govenrment decided not to give permissions for the Love Parade Caracas, which should have happened on saturday. So, the government soponsored a free party in "Parque Los Caobos" which held over 50 national djs, all well paid like never before, soundsystems and securuty was organized by the government.

Then of course all the people that were going to the Love Parade, decided to go and dance in this party, despite the fact that it was organized by the government. I bet no one of the public could distinguish who were behind the organization on this party. they even eant to politiczise the electronic music!!!

Then the media does what they always do, that is manipulating the facts to create controversy.

I want to make clear that i'm against Chavez censorship policy, and his "Neo-Socialist" way of thinking. I also think he's the biggest joke of history of presidents of any country.