Journalists and different media workers called for a march to protest against discrimination and the lack of freedom of expression in Venezuela.
Students, workers, journalists and different political parties took the streets of Caracas in what turned out to be one of the largest peaceful protests in the last 9 years. Students also protested in Puerto la Cruz and a few other cities in the country.
Meanwhile.. Chavez is visiting Russia, Bielorussia and Iran.
The students of the Universidad Simon Bolivar, a well-known school with a high reputation in scientific and engineering careers, decided to march to the "Board of Supreme Education" (the goverment entity that regulates universities) to demand that the university's autonomous status be recognized. (an status every university in Venezuela enjoys).
Funded in 1967 as an experimental school, today the USB is one of the most advanced and successful houses of high education in Latin America. However, it has not been granted "autonomy" by the goverment.
Students also protested for those students that have been victims of goverment aggression and for those that have been detained for protesting against the ilegal close of RCTV. The fourth and last demand made by the students was for Freedom of Speech, they asked the goverment to give them space in the goverment controlled TV channels and allied channels so they can voice their concerns and opinions.
Professors, workers and the students of the UCV (Universidad Central de Venezuela) had called upon a march on Tuesday, the students from all the other houses of study answered. However the goverment refused to allow them to march that day, so the date was switched to Wednesday. Once again the goverment tried to not allow the march to happen, however this time the students decided that theyre were going to march.
at 7:00 am the concentration of people started inside the UCV, a couple loud explosions went off somewhere in the school but nothing happened. The leaders of the student movement blamed the government and its followers as it was obvious that they wanted to scare the students from marching.
The goverment has lost the youth.... *Pink Floyd - Another Brick on the wal
Students from universities from cities relatively close to Caracas tried to join the march; to their surprise they found contingents of Police and the National Guard holding traffic in all highways leading to Caracas. The buses of the students were stopped for 2-3 hours and either turned back or arrived to Caracas too late.
Some of the students reacted by sitting in the highways and singing and yelling demanding their rights. However, It was pretty much impossible to get to Caracas.
This guy was seen at the top of buildings. A member of the Army. What was he doing there? Why so heavily armed? Are you scared Hugo? I bet you are.
Hugo. The youth isn't with the Revolution.
"When one voice is silenced, we all become mute. When one thought is eliminated, we all lose some awareness. And when a space for the expression of ideas becomes closed, we all become trapped in the dungeons of dictatorship. The authoritarian populism of Venezuela strives to convert all of the people of Latin America into silent citizens, and we cannot permit this.
Latin America’s common enemies are poverty, inequality and exclusion — not dissident thought. Hunger is not fought by silencing critics. Unemployment does not disappear by exiling those who think differently. We cannot have bread without liberty. We cannot have nations without democracy."
/Alejandro Toledo, ex-president of Peru -Pulled from the New York Times. ps: thank you John Galt.
A group of students protested all over the subway stations of the city of Caracas. They walked in complete silence wearing signs with messages such as " We apologize for the inconveniences. We are currently working for your freedom", "Peace", "Justice", "Freedom of Speech"....
