University conflict continues. Universidad Bolivariana de Venezuela rector claims it is all part of a coup plot by “the right”

A faculty strike in the five main public autonomous universities has reached its first month, despite government claims that professor’s demands have been met.

The rector of the main public (non-autonomous) university Universidad Bolivariana de Venezuela (UBV), Prudencio Chacón, believes that professors are striking with the intention of “destabilizing the country.”

Today, on an interview transmitted by Venezolana de Television (VTV) Chacón declared that: “the problem of these universities has nothing to do with salaries or the budget. These universities are really on board the coup line of the right. They [the universities] are but one of the elements being used, just like in other countries, to destabilize the progressive governments of the world.”

He added that there is no excuse to continue the strike: “there is only the intention of generating violence and the destabilization of President Maduro’s government.”

Read here for the real reasons of why the conflict has not abated.

University strike is part of a manipulation by “rightist sectors”

The faculty of public universities has been on indefinite strike since May 30 protesting budget constraints and dismal salaries. 

Today two rival marches, pro and anti-government, took to the streets of Caracas.

According to the government student and professors protest are but a part of a destabilizing plan against the country. 

During the pro-government march, the rector of the public Universidad Nacional de las Fuerzas Armadas (UNEFA) General JesúsGonzález González declared that the strike responds to “political interests, because it is clear the they [the professors] want to promote disorder, differences, and destabilization of Venezuela.” 

The rector of the Univesidad Bolivariana added that opposition students wanted to “surrender the country to the empire. Our students support a socialist country.” 

Minutes ago President Maduro, on a State visit to Nicaragua, wrote on twitter: “I appeal to all university sectors to reject the manipulations and sabotage of rightist politicians and to come back to dialogue so that we can reach an understanding…”

Such appeals to dialogue are unlikely to appease the protests. As David Smilde and I explain in an article for the blog Venezuelan Politics and Human Rights, the government is paying the price of excluding elected union leaders from negotiations in favor of professors “representatives” appointed by the government. 

Universities and destabilization plans

A week old indefinite strike called by professors and administrative workers of public universities has been accompanied by student protests in several cities. The government has claimed that professors and students are only pawns of wider destabilization plans by the right. Maduro has argued that professors are not really striking for better salaries, but only “because of a whim (caprichito) of overthrowing me."

On June 14, Maduro warned the protesting students that opposition leader Leopoldo López has plans to ambush them with “a fascist attack, and then blame the revolution.” López answered the accusations in a video posted on twitter: “not this, nor any other government, is going to decide when, where, or who can protest. At this time university workers, professors, and students, have all the right to go out [to protest]”