Magnicidio is back!

The last time president Maduro claimed to have evidence of a plot to assassinate him was December 14, 2014. From Ecuador, where he was attending UNASUR meeting, Maduro said that a sicario had been sent form Central America to kill him. No evidence was ever shown of the magnicidio attempt supposedly foiled by Venezuela’s secret services.

Today from Vietnam, where he is signing several agreements, Maduro said this: “We are being attacked from Bogotá. I have the evidence, and I will show how from Bogotá there is a campaign to kill me, [a campaign] of hatred, such as we had not faced in 15 or 16 years of Bolivarian Revolution (…). Unfortunately the Colombian government is giving its consent [anuencia] and turning a blind eye [to this campaign],” he added.    

Confessions as evidence and paramilitaries

This week Maduro’s government and official media have insisted on presenting the confessions of José Pérez Venta and Carlos Trejo, the main suspects in the murder case of Liana Hergueta, as evidence, the only presented so far, that there is a broad conspiracy by Colombian paramilitaries and the local opposition to destabilize the country.

The Agencia Venezolana de Noticias (AVN) is refuting the claim made by “national and international media that the [Hergueta] case was a police [sic] case, apparently isolated, of a murder of a women for money, when in truth it is the evidence of a direct relationship between right-wing groups in Venezuela and Colombian paramilitarism and its criminal practices.”

For AVN Pérez Venta’s confessions have “clearly stablished this criminal relation of antichavista sectors with paramilitary groups of Colombia.”

The PSUV governor of Aragua Tareck El Aissami also revealed in a news conference this week that Pérez Venta had confessed to being part of a plan to murder Daniela Cabello, the daughter of the president of the National Assembly Diosdado Cabello.

El Aissami said that this newly revealed part of Pérez Venta’s confession is evidence that “the opposition is engaged in the most disgusting violent plans against the country.”

However the pro-government news portal La Tabla (here reposted by Aporrea) reports that Andrea González and Dany Abreu, the two organizers of the plan to murder Daniela Cabello according to Pérez Venta, are a pastry cook and a student of electrical engineering with no links to the case, apart from Pérez Venta having named them.

Imagining Paramilitaries in Venezuela

The claims that paramilitaries are being brought into the country to destabilize fit well with the government’s narrative that it is fighting a powerful but hidden enemy. In this narrative the broadly defined paramilitaries serve as agents of a vast opposition conspiracy plan which helps the government explain its policy failures as an effect of that conspiracy. The government can blame the opposition, and its alleged international backers for those failures, and at the same time charge local opposition leaders and activists with criminal intent.

David Smilde and I wrote this post for the WOLA blog. We summarize most of the claims made so far by the government and some of the reactions by the opposition and human rights NGOs. Human right organizations are especially concerned about the upsurge in deportations of Colombian citizens and about the consequences of thy refer to as the xenophobic rhetoric recently used by Maduro in his discourses.

President Maduro gave a press conference yesterday in which he also made a summary of his claims of “paramilitary infiltration”. Maduro again accused Colombian ex-president Álvaro Uribe Vélez of being behind of most of the criminal violence and of the “economic war” in Venezuela by sending paramilitaries into the country. He also accused prominent local opposition leaders of having ties with the paramilitaries.

Here is the press note of the conference by the Agencia Venezolana de Noticias:

El paramilitarismo es la principal causa de los problemas en frontera colombo–venezolana

Caracas , 24 Ago. AVN.- Fenómenos como el crimen organizado, el contrabando de extracción y la fuga de productos de primera necesidad son problemas trasladados al país a través de la práctica paramilitar instaurada en Colombia desde hace varias décadas y que ha causado graves daños en la frontera colombo – venezolana, señaló este lunes el presidente de la República, Nicolás Maduro.

Al ofrecer una rueda de prensa a medios nacionales e internacionales, desde el Palacio de Miraflores, Caracas, el jefe de Estado manifestó que Venezuela es víctima del modelo paramilitar capitalista, que se desarrolló en Colombia.

Explicó que esa práctica surgió de un poder económico, que tuvo su origen en la producción de cocaína, y que luego se transformó en una burguesía paramilitar que se encargó de organizar grupos criminales en varias partes de Colombia. Fue entonces cuando se instauraron en ese país dos poderes: el político, basado en la práctica paramilitar, y el económico, sustentado en el narcotráfico.

En este contexto, el mandatario nacional denunció al ex presidente colombiano Álvaro Uribe Vélez como al principal impulsor de estos fenómenos y como al más grande anticolombiano que haya existido, esto, tras denunciar su responsabilidad en los llamados "falsos positivos", asesinatos de ciudadanos colombianos que se justificaban diciendo que se trataba de guerrilleros.

"Álvaro Uribe Vélez es el más grande anticolombiano que haya existido. Cuántas familias tienen que llorar porque su hijo fue desaparecido y descuartizado por bandas paramilitares, en silencio tienen que llorar porque se lo desapareció un falso positivo de Uribe", dijo.

Durante el encuentro con los medios, con el objetivo de informar sobre las acciones de paz que promueve Venezuela para restablecer la seguridad en la frontera con Colombia, el Presidente insistió en que todos los señalamientos que hace el Gobierno nacional para alertar a los venezolanos sobre los planes paramilitares que se tejen desde el país vecino no están dirigidos al pueblo colombiano, al que en la tierra de Bolívar se le recibe y se le respeta.

Por ello, ratificó su solidaridad y compromiso con el pueblo hermano, que tiene en Venezuela una población de 5,6 millones de habitantes, y sus procesos de paz, al tiempo que rechazó la campaña que emprenden medios colombianos e internacionales para señalarlo como anticolombiano.

"Yo lo que soy es antiparaco, antinarcotraficante, eso sí soy, y amamos al pueblo de Colombia", respondió. 

El jefe de Estado reiteró que "solo con justicia, habrá paz", por lo que la voluntad del Estado venezolano está dirigida a realizar las investigaciones que sean pertinentes –como se hizo en el caso del joven dirigente Robert Serra y la comunicadora social Adriana Urquiola, ambos asesinados por órdenes dadas desde Colombia y en vinculación con acciones desestabilizadoras promovidas por la derecha– para desmantelar los planes paramilitares que atentan contra la tranquilidad de los venezolanos.

Rechazó una vez más el paramilitarismo por considerarlo un flagelo que, como la gangrena, va destruyendo el tejido político, social y económico de las sociedades, y reconoció el compromiso del presidente de Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, de acabar con dicha problemática, voluntad que, comentó, se ve reflejada en la colaboración que ha prestado la justicia colombiana en la resolución de los casos mencionados.

"Agradezco a Santos, lo respeto como jefe de Estado a pesar de las diferencias ideológicas y políticas. Usted está haciendo algo muy noble, está buscando la paz con valentía y con coraje, y lo apoyamos con todo en Venezuela y América Latina, pero Venezuela tiene que decir la verdad, porque como decía Simón Bolívar las gangrenas políticas no se curan con paliativos y nadie podrá curar ninguna enfermedad sin saber su causa", manifestó.

Venezuela contra el narcotráfico

El jefe de Estado también destacó los aportes de los efectivos de la Aviación Nacional Bolivariana, quienes han derribado un total de 92 naves con 180 toneladas de drogas ilícitas que provenían de Colombia con destino a Venezuela.

"Venezuela es el primer país que apoya una ley de intersección aérea, que entró en vigencia en 2012 y con la que hemos dado un fuerte combate contra naves de narcotráfico que vienen desde Colombia. Hemos neutralizado, de distintas formas, a 92 naves, golpeando 180 toneladas de drogas ilícitas. Tenemos un combate tremendo contra el narcotráfico", expuso el Presidente.

De igual forma, celebró los esfuerzos del Estado venezolano para lograr la detención de 100 capos de la droga, que se dedicaban al tráfico de sustancias ilícitas hacia Estados Unidos, América Latina y El Caribe.

"Hemos capturado a más de 100 capos duros de la droga y hemos entregado a Colombia y a Estados Unidos 70 de ellos. Estamos enjuiciando a una parte de ellos en Venezuela y estamos por entregar en los próximas días más de 30 sujetos del más alto nivel del negocio de la droga en Colombia", detalló.

 AVN 24/08/2015 21:15

The Criminal Network of the Ultra-Right

As a follow-up to the previous post here is an image published by Telesur stablishing the alleged links of a vast right wing conspiracy in Venezuela:

Paramilitaries according to Telesur

Government officials and state media have been blaming supposed paramilitaries “imported” from Colombia by the local opposition and backed by the United States, for almost everything from common crime to street protests.

Here is a sample how Venezuela government sponsored Telesur has been covering the paramilitary incursions in the country.

State media has been showing a video of the confessions of the main suspect in the murder of Liana Hergueta. Telesur has this English subtitled version of the video titled: “The Parapolitics of Venezuela’s right wing.”

Telesur explains: “In the video, José Pérez Venta, primary suspect in the murder of Liana Hergueta, reveals an elaborate network of contacts between far-right politicians in Colombia, opposition Venezuelan activists, and paramilitary groups.”

This is how Telesur informs in another piece in English of the “revelations” made by President Maduro:

Maduro: Video Shows Ties Between Venezuela Opposition, Colombia

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said 30 groups appear to be trained and financed by Colombia to destabilize Venezuela.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro revealed a video Tuesday that shows links between leading figures of the country's right-wing opposition with Colombian politicans and paramilitary groups.

In his weekly television program, Maduro showed a video allegedly exposing groups trained and financed by the former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe to destabilize Venezuela.

In the video, Jose Perez Venta, primary suspect in the murder of Liana Hergueta, reveals an elaborate network of contacts between far-right politicians in Colombia, opposition Venezuelan activists, and paramilitary groups.

"We have identified 30 groups trained and financed by Uribe from Colombia," Maduro said. “We will capture all paramilitary groups who want to hurt Venezuela."

Some of the well-known opposition political leaders mentioned in the video are opposition activist Maria Corina Machado, former mayor of metropolitan Caracas Antonio Ledezma, and the governor of Miranda, Henrique Capriles.

According to Maduro paramilitary operatives were ordered to kill opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez in order to stir chaos in the country.

"Why did they want to kill Leopoldo Lopez? To blame the Bolivarian revolution," he said referring to Venezuela's progressive people's movement that came out of Hugo Chavez's presidency.

President Maduro also alleged that the video reveals the role played by U.S. officials in destabilization attempts against his country. Perez states in the video that opposition leaders received financing from the United States and Spain who then funneled the money to other opposition activists.

Perez specifically names right-wing U.S. lawmaker Marco Rubio and the charge d'affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, Phil Laidlaw, as being involved.

The murder of Liana Hergueta has shaken Venezuela. The woman’s body was found dismembered and the Interior Minister Gustavo Gonzalez had previously said her murder was politically-motivated.

Officials from the Ministry of Justice suspect that Hergueta was killed for political reasons by groups connected to paramilitaries.

Another news clip by Telesur in English reports of funding by the United States, according to the President of Venezuela’s National Assembly Diosdado Cabello:

National Assembly Head: U.S. Financing Terror in Venezuela

The head of the National Assembly on Wednesday evening uncovered new evidence that links the U.S.-backed opposition with the gruesome murder case that is shaking Venezuela.

More evidence has surfaced Wednesday for the second day in row, allegedly exposing the violent operations of Venezuela's right-­wing opposition, including explicit details on a controversial murder case that may be financially and politically tied to the U.S. embassy in the country.

Diosdado Cabello, the president of the National Assembly of Venezuela, released a new video on Wednesday in which Jose Rafael Perez, the prime suspect in the gruesome murder of Venezuelan Liana Hergueta, confesses how he and his accomplice committed the crime and affirmed he received financial support from the U.S. embassy.

In the video, Perez Venta alleges that opposition student leader Gabriela Arellano met with a U.S. officialto discuss an “exit” plan for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, with the intent on finding financial backing to destabilize the country.

In the video, Perez Venta says he and his accomplice, Andrew Carlos Trejo, contacted Hergueta through the mobile phone application, WhatsApp, with the intent of killing after robbing her.

Perez also pointed to United States Congresswoman Betty Grossi alleging that she had financed him and participated in the deadly Guarimba protests of 2014.

Earlier, Cabello said that former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe sponsored paramilitaries in Venezuela with the intent to create social and political instability.

His statements echo the earlier announcement by Maduro, who alleged that the right-wing opposition was linked to Colombian paramilitaries.

The parliamentary leader also revealed a plan by a woman identified as Taiz Gonzalez, aka Dora the Explorer, who is in charge of purchasing chemical substances to be used in terrorist attacks in Venezuela.

“Uribe has financed and sponsored paramilitaries in Venezuela,” Cabello insisted.

The speaker of the assembly also mentioned a person by the name of Jose Luis Santa Maria “whose function is to place explosives in the Miraflores (presidential) Palace.”

Finally, Telesur gives further context to the news with this informative piece in Spanish characterizing opposition leaders as para-politicians:

Conoce a los parapolíticos de la derecha venezolana

El involucrado en el asesinato de la venezolana Liana Hergueta, José Pérez Venta, confesó el método para llevar a cabo hechos violentos en el país y la vinculación de políticos de la derecha.

El presidente de Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, mostró este martes en su programa “En Contacto con Maduro” número 36 un vídeo que muestra la parapolítica de la derecha venezolana, tras el asesinato de Liana Hergueta.

teleSUR te invita a conocer a los parapolíticos: 

Gabriela Arellano, venezolana, militante del partido Voluntad Popular (VP) y candidata a la Asamblea Nacional (AN) de Venezuela. En febrero de 2014 estuvo estrechamente vinculada a las llamadas “guarimbas” (manifestaciones violentas) que ocasionaron la muerte de 43 personas en el país.

El 2 de abril de 2014, Arellano sostuvo una reunión con un consejero político de la Embajada de EstadosUnidos (EE.UU.) en Venezuela.

Henrique Capriles Radonski, político y abogado venezolano, dirigente del partido Primero Justicia y actual gobernador del estado Miranda (centro-norte), excandidato a la Presidencia de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela en par de oportunidades.

Fue acusado por el presidente de Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, de organizar y pactar con el paramilitarismo y la criminalidad en el estado Miranda; y aseguró que dichas actividades están vinculadas con líderes colombianos.

Antonio Ledezma, alcalde metropolitano de Caracas (capital). El pasado mes de febrero fue detenido tras ser acusado de fraguar un plan golpista contra el Gobierno del presidente Nicolás Maduro.

Ledezma, y el diputado opositor Julio Borges diseñaron un plan para eliminar físicamente al dirigente de Voluntad Popular, Leopoldo López, informó el presidente del Parlamento, Diosdado Cabello.

María Corina Machado, exdiputada a la Asamblea Nacional de Venezuela, exprecandidata presidencial y vocera de la ultraderecha venezolana.

Fue destituida de sus funciones parlamentarias en marzo de 2014, luego de que violara la Constitución deVenezuela, al aceptar el cargo de embajadora alterna de Panamá ante la Organización de Estados Americanos (OEA) durante el Gobierno del expresidente de esa nación, Ricardo Martinelli.

Es una de las principales responsables de las acciones violentas, generadas por grupos fascistas en Venezuela en febrero de 2014, cuyo saldo fue de 43 muertos y más de 800 heridos. Machado en compañía del también ultraderechista Leopoldo López, llamó a los jóvenes a salir a la calle para derrocar el Gobierno legítimo y constitucional de Nicolás Maduro.

Richard Blanco, militante del partido de derecha Alianza Bravo Pueblo (ABP), a quien le fue retirada su inmunidad parlamentaria en 2013 por las denuncias sobre defraudación tributaria y legitimación de capitales que reposan sobre él.

El pasado 16 de julio de 2013 la Sala Plena del Tribunal Supremo de Justicia (TSJ) determinó que existíansuficientes elementos de convicción para iniciar un antejuicio de mérito contra Blanco por la presunta comisión de delitos contra el fisco y por delincuencia organizada.

Según la sentencia de la Sala Plena del TSJ, Blanco está incurso en delitos estipulados en el artículo 116 del Código Orgánico Tributario y en el artículo 4 de la Ley Orgánica contra la Delincuencia Organizada.

María Conchita Alonso, actriz de oposición cubano-venezolana, radicada en EE.UU., en febrero de 2015, el presidente de la AN, Diosdado Cabello, difundió un video donde la artista venezolana, aseguró quela única vía para derrocar al Gobierno de Maduro es "una invasión con balas". 

Miguel Henrique Otero, dueño del diario El Nacional, dedicado a la publicación de informaciones falsas y que distorsionan la imagen de Venezuela en el extranjero. Este diario fue denunciado por el presidente de la Asamblea Nacional, Diosdado Cabello, por reproducir informaciones sobre su supuesta vinculación con un cartel de drogas en México.

Otero fue señalado este martes por José Rafael Pérez Venta, uno de los autores del homicidio de Liana Hergueta, como uno de los personajes que financió las guarimbas en febrero de 2014.

Cuando Pérez Venta fue interrogado sobre los lineamientos que recibió de Otero, señaló: "Financiamiento completo y perpetuo para los enfrentamientos de los disturbios. Cuando lo daba, y nos lo daba en efectivo o sino daba los materiales completos".

Lorent Saleh, dirigente y miembro fundador de la "ONG" Operación Libertad, fue entregado el pasado 4 de septiembre a funcionarios del Servicio Bolivariano de Inteligencia Nacional (Sebin) en San Cristóbal (sureste) y de la oficina de Migracion de San Antonio del Táchira, en calidad de deportado por el gobierno de Colombia.

Bajo la pantalla de una ONG de “lucha por la democracia”, Saleh realizaba entrenamiento paramilitar en Colombia y planeaban realizar varios atentados en Venezuela.

Óscar Schémel: Psycho-social war and neurotic vote

In the forum “Economic war: A method for the domination of the people,” organized by the National Commission against Contraband, the president of polling agency Hinterlaces, Óscar Schémel, lectured on the socio-psychological aspects of the war the Venezuelan government claims it is facing.

According to Hinterlace’s press note, “Schémel insisted upon the need to protect the image of President Nicolás Maduro, because some sectors of the opposition are bent on discrediting his government by using a campaign which includes psychological and economic wars in order to increase the levels of uncertainty and vulnerability.”

Schémel claimed that Hinterlaces has, for years, carried out studies on the “emotional distress feeling” suffered by the Venezuelan people. Today, said the expert, “there is a rise in the negative indicators, even as the levels of hope and optimism remain stable.”

This is because, explained Schémel, there is now “a strategy of emotional destabilization. (…) They [the opposition] will boost all its psycho-emotional weapons to produce a neurotic vote.”

Since January this year, Schémel and his agency Hinterlaces have fully subscribed the government’s explanation of the current crisis as the consequence of an “economic war.” The pollster has also added to the narrative the claim that a “phsyco-social war” is also being waged against the Venezuelan people.

In its monthly report Monitor País, of January 2015, Hinterlaces warned about “future neurotic responses” by the population, induced by the opposition. “The current campaign,” claimed the report, “executed by an experienced and professional “Mass Clinic” [Clínica de Masas], constitutes a new chapter in a long planned process of accumulation of collective distress [angustia] that aims at rekindling the uncertainty and the feeling of defenselessness [of the people], and also at provoking the overflowing of irrational responses. [All part of an] insurrectional strategy –through a psychological-social war- that the most radical adversaries of the Bolivarian Revolution have declared…”

In June 2015, Monitor País argued that the “economic war” was taking its toll on the population, by increasing the levels of “distress, pessimism, sadness, and preoccupation compared to last March." Hinterlaces argued that the opposition was carrying out a "campaign of destabilization and neurotization agaisnt the Venezuelan society."

Last month, Óscar Schemel explained that “there is now a psycho-social war that is trying to exacerbate discontent, accentuate problems, and generate distress, vulnerability, defenselessness, in order to produce future neurotic responses that would imply a [government] rupture.”

Maduro informs of a Plan Buitre by the United States to sabotage the Venezuelan economy

In the Fourth Extraordinary Meeting in Caracas of the Alianaza Bolivariana para los Pueblos de Nuestra América – Tratado de Comercio de los Pueblos (ALBA-TCP) the participating countries have agreed to “create accompanying commissions, integrated by foreign ministers, to visit Ecuador and El Salvador, in order defended them of a soft coup attempt promoted by the north-American Empire.”

Venezuela’s foreign minister, Delcy Rodríguez, told representatives of ALBA countries attending the meeting: “We have a lot to talk about among compañeros, we want our people to know that we are here to take concrete actions for the defense of our countries. We are aware of new imperial plans that are being made against our countries. (…) Imperialism does not rest and it has the aim of overthrowing [our governments],” said Rodríguez.

President Maduro also addressed the participants to inform that his government will stablish a commission “with the United States to show the evidence of sabotage” against the Venezuelan economy.”

Maduro assured that he has evidence, which will be shown by the new commission, on “how the [United States] Southern Command has placed key officials inside the United States Embassy in Venezuela in order to lead a vulture plan [plan buitre] of violence and of sabotage of the Venezuelan economy.”

“They would like these sabotage plan to end in a coup d’état, (…) I’m sure that’s where they’re aiming at, because of the brutality with which they have attacked, by articulating criminals, attacking the economy, the [Venezuelan] currency, the people, by generating ultra-rightists groups,” explained the President. “So I think it is very good, this action plan approved by the ALBA in order to face these conspiracies,” he added.

Maduro has evidence of an ExxonMobil-Empire-Opposition conspiracy

President Maduro has informed that he has the evidence of links between ExxonMobil, opposition candidates to December’s legislative elections, current opposition deputies, and the United States Embassy in Caracas. However he will not be showing the evidence yet because they are still being gathered in order to make a case for high treason against the opposition deputies.

“I have the evidence and I will show them when the time comes, because I am gathering the evidence that these deputies are traitors to the Fatherland, they are involved in a conspiracy,” declared Maduro.

He also again accused the opposition of waging an economic war against the country: “There are many reasons why they are waging the economic war. The bourgeoisie has kidnapped the economy, they are holding the economy for ransom and they tell the people: hand over Maduro or I will continue the economic war, hand over the Revolution or I will continue with this economic coup.”

Presidential Civic-Military Command for the Permanent Watch to Preserve the Peace of the People

Maduro accused yesterday the local opposition of preparing violent actions: “as small groups have been preparing an ambush for last months,” he said.

But the President also gallantly invited the opposition to a high level and open debate: “I call upon a high level debate, and open and free debate, to all those sectors that are basing their calculations on conspiracies, evilness, perversions, I ask them to abandon such paths, otherwise they will face our peace offensive. They have persisted in an economic coup, a paramilitary and criminal war, an electric war. They will eventually have to face a total offensive to guarantee peace,” predicted Maduro.

He also predicted that the pro-government candidates will win the December 6 parliamentary elections: “A victory that will surprise the whole world is coming, the Admirable Victory of D6, against the economic war. The people will punish [the opposition] with a justice vote, a popular vote, a Bolivarian Chavista vote.”  

The declarations were made by the President during a televised cabinet meeting to announce the establishment of the “Presidential Civic-Military Command for the Permanent Watch to Preserve the Peace of the People” (Comando Presidencial Cívico-Militar Permanente para Preservar la Paz del Pueblo).

The specific functions of this new Presidential Command were not explained, but Maduro argued that the instance was necessary in order for the government to keep a “24 hour watch” because, said the President, “every day the government is defusing ambushes that the right prepares against the people, by using sicarios and paramilitaries.”

“These destabilization actions,” further explained Maduro, “are combined with a media campaign to distort the national reality, [a campaign] promoted by corporations, such as the international TV channel CNN, which on Thursday showed falsely informed of looting in several cities of the country.”

As an example of how the Command will function in its 24 hours watch, Maduro said that the Governor of Aragua State Tarek El Aissami, would be spending the night in a “situation room” at Miraflores palace, “coordinating all the pertinent actions until Friday morning, when the watch will be turned to the next persons.”

   

The public Agencia Venezolana de Noticias stressed the need for the new Command:

In the face of the pretentions of sector of the right, who are trying to create conditions of instability and violence to intimidate the people for the coming parliamentary elections, Venezuelans have been called [by Maduro] to defend peace, as the only way to achieve victories and social development in the country.

The Venezolana de Televisión video of Maduro’s declarations can be watched here.

Two Pentagon Documents

In a discourse broadcast live in national TV and radio cadena, President Maduro informed he has two documents, which he claimes were written by “the Pentagon …or the think tanks,” and which reveal the design of a United States government plan to destroy Venezuela.

The documents, according to Maduro, are the blue-print of a plan to “fill our Fatherland with violence, chaos, death, divisions, uncertainty, and anguish. Because [these documents say] they have calculated that the oligarchy, who I call the pelucones, would be able to get their hands on the political power, and then, when they get that political power, they can then go after the resources of our country and they would negotiate them, they would give them away, as they did for two centuries, to imperial interests.”

“These are two simple documents were they expose their strategy,” explained Maduro, “if you read them with at least a little bit of common sense and rationality you will discover that one thing is the promises the Empire makes to its local representatives in Venezuela, and a very different thing is what the Empire is really after in our Fatherland. The Empire is not only after political power, simply putting someone in the place of another, no, don’t believe that, they want to debilitate Venezuela, divide it, destroy its institutions, demoralize its people, to fracture and waken the spiritual strength our armed forces. They are after a scenario of the Libyan or Syrian type.”

“The flag of the ultra-right and of the oligarchy, with the seal of the Empire, is to bring violence, chaos, and national desperation,” added Maduro.

Opposition killed Mier Hoffman as part of electoral campaign

President Maduro has officially endorsed the theory that Jorge Mier Hoffman was assassinated by the enemies of the revolution.

In a public meeting with government candidates to the December 6 legislative elections Maduro informed that the murderers had already confessed their crime: “They [the right] ordered his [Mier Hoffman’s] murder by hired sicarios, who have finally confessed what they did.”

Maduro suggested that Mier Hoffman’s assassination is part of the “electoral campaign” of the opposition: “The electoral campaign of the right is not just to go out and put up some posters, we need to be aware of this, the campaign is to increase the economic war against our people, to promote assassinations using criminal and paramilitary groups, and to sabotage. Their campaign is about chaos, violence, uncertainty, and pain.”

The problem, explained the President, is that the “leaders of the revolution” need to do more to convince the Venezuelan people of the existence of this conspiracy by the enemies of the revolution: “Our people have the resources to fight this battle and not surrender or become afraid, because they [the right] want the people to surrender and to ditch their values before they [the right] bring back the products to the shelves and cease the assassinations. The people have the resources, but the leaders need to reach the consciousness of the people, [by going] face to face and correctly using all of the media.” 

Mercenaries paid from New York and Washington loot supermarkets in San Felix

Yesterday in the city of San Felix in Bolívar State at least four stores were looted in the central Manuel Piar Avenue and in other areas of the center of the city. The National Bolivarian Guard reestablished control of the city in the afternoon. One of the looters died of gunshot and at least 60 people were arrested.

According to local media the looting started in the morning after people started protesting because of the lack of public transport. A supply truck for one of the supermarket became stuck in the middle of a crowd of people waiting for transport and was looted by the crowd. Looting then spread to the nearby supermarket and to nearby stores.

However the governor of Bolivar State, Francisco Rangel Gómez, proposed another explanation for what happened yesterday. He argues that the looting was part of a planned event: “If the people have needs, they don’t go in shooting with firearms, I’m sure it all had political aims, planned with a band of no less than 40 motorbikers,” said the governor.

According to the governor the evidence that the looting episode was a planned event is that “people are not going hungry, so there is no excuse for this to happen, [therefore] this was no spontaneous event but [the work] of agitators that want to create a state of calamity [conmoción].”

Later in the afternoon President Maduro added to Rangel Gómez’s explanation of the event. According to the Agencia Venezolana de Noticias: “The President warned that these actions, for which 60 people have been arrested, are part of a plan for the destabilization and alteration of the peace of the country, which has been plotted outside the country and is executed by mercenaries in Venezuela, and which was denounced by the National Government at the beginning of the year.”

“We had been following events like this which had been planned for other states,” explained Maduro, “but thanks to the Operativos de Liberación y Protección del Pueblo (OLP), and the popular intelligence of thousands of Patriotas Cooperantes, we have stopped the right from filling the country with what they want: violence.”

Maduro stablished a direct link between the United States, the local opposition, and yesterday’s looting events: “General (John F.) Kelly, of the United States Southern Command, four months ago, predicted that there would be a social explosion in the month of July. You know that a general of the US does not [simply] make predictions; he orders, acts, and the battered right [derecha maltrecha, opposition] executes.”

“It’s all part of a plan,” insisted Maduro, “all of them [the plotters of the plan] live in New York and Washington. Don’t you think for one moment that they [the opposition leaders] go to New York and Washington just for tourism, to rest in their big apartments and mansions, no, they go there to conspire, and when they come back [to Venezuela] they come back with the dollars they get there and [use them] to harm the people of this country.”

Fortunately, the government can now use the newly created Operativos de Liberación y Protección del Pueblo (OLP) to stop the mercenaries: “I have given the order […] that the OLPs immediately reach the Bolivar State, let’s go, immediately, go search for these mercenaries and infiltrated paramilitaries,” said Maduro.

The looting event in San Felix is all part of a conspiracy to stop the legislative elections of December, finished Maduro: “with this new stage of violence, which has a modus operandi of using mercenaries, the right is trying to suspend the parliamentary elections. [But] sabotage or no sabotage, the people will give the battered right a historic lesson on December 6.”