Hundreds of thousands of supporters of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Saturday marched in a show of support for his controversial closure of an opposition television station.
Supporters of the leftist president marched under his slogan of "democratizing television and radio," one day after students surprised the government with large anti-Chavez demonstrations demanding freedom of expression.
"Starting today, the [pro-government] counterattack must be maintained across the country," Chavez rallied the throng, claiming that a "destabilizing maneuver was afoot to carry out a gentle coup" and topple his government. He did not offer details.
PHOTO: AFP
"If the Venezuelan oligarchy ... does not accept this call to live together in peace that we are making, if it keeps on attacking using the things it still controls, it will keep losing those things one by one," Chavez warned.
Chavez closed Venezuela's oldest and most popular television station almost a week ago, and protests have only grown, prompting international criticism.
The closure of RCTV has become a lightning rod for Chavez opponents. Chavez refused to renew the license of a station that openly called for his ouster in 2002, during a two-day coup bid against him that ultimately failed.
"I am calling on private media, above all on those who are lending themselves to this destabilizing move and the soft coup to oust Chavez. Make no mistake. Watch out how far you go," Chavez also warned.
"Ho! Ho! Chavez will not go!" his supporters chanted, making it clear that the demonstration was as much about Chavez as about RCTV, the broadcaster of soap operas and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
On Saturday, jubilant marchers, public employees and members of cooperatives who benefit from Chavez programs donned red shirts and caps -- the color of the beret Chavez wears as a former paratrooper -- and were joined as they marched by dozens of trucks and buses carrying loudspeakers playing messages favoring the president.
Telecommunications Minister Jesse Chacon took up the government message.
"Today, Venezuela is democratizing the broadcast spectrum and takes one step ahead," he said.
That means RCTV's frequency has been handed over to a government-run public broadcaster, which Chavez promises to be a "socialist" medium, called TVes.
However, the struggle now jeopardizes relations with at least one of Chavez's fellow leftist leaders in South America.
Brazil's Senate formally requested on Wednesday that Chavez reconsider his decision to close RCTV.
Chavez retorted, "The Brazilian Congress should worry about Brazil's problems," and accused it of being Washington's "subordinate."
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva defended Brazilian lawmakers and told Chavez to mind his own business, a position welcomed in the Brazilian press.
Lula "did what he had to do to defend Brazil's independent and democratic principles," Folha de Sao Paulo editorialized on Saturday.
Ratcheting up the pressure, Lula asked his foreign ministry to call in Venezuela's ambassador to Brazil to have him account for Chavez's response.
The issue of freedoms was sure to come up at the Organization of American States General Assembly due to open yesterday in Panama. However, Venezuela's representative, Jorge Valero, said on Saturday that discussion of RCTV's closing would be considered "interference" in Venezuela's internal affairs.
After students rose up against Chavez on Friday, Chavez supporters charged student leaders of trying to "destabilize" the country.
Former Chavez vice president Jose Vicente Rangel defended them: "The students do not want to topple the government. We have to look for a dialogue with them."
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