Beginning in the early hours of the morning, a sea of red
filled Avenida Bolivar, the capital's principal boulevard
and overflowed into Avenidas Mexico, Lecuna, San Martin, and
Universidad, dwarfing an opposition rally of around 200,000
the day before, as Chavez supporters wearing T-shirts
emblazoned with ŒYes to the reforms' danced and sang as they
waited for Chavez who spoke at 5 in the afternoon.
"If the Œyes' vote wins on Sunday and the Venezuelan
oligarchy, playing the [U.S.] empire's game, comes with
their little stories of fraud," he will suspend all oil
shipments to the U.S immediately. "The U.S. will not receive
one drop of oil," he declared. Chavez also warned private
media against promoting violence and destabilization after
the referendum.
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Original source URL:
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/2942
Pro-Constitutional Reform Closes Campaign with Massive Rally in Venezuela
December 1st 2007, by Kiraz Janicke - Venezuelanalysis.com
Caracas, December 1, 2007 (venezuelanalysis.com) - In a hard-hitting speech
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez told over 500,000 supporters at the final
campaign rally in favor of the proposed constitutional reform on Friday, "If the
Œyes' vote wins on Sunday and the Venezuelan oligarchy, playing the [U.S.]
empire's game, comes with their little stories of fraud," he will suspend all
oil shipments to the U.S immediately. "The U.S. will not receive one drop of
oil," he declared. Chavez also warned private media against promoting violence
and destabilization after the referendum.
Beginning in the early hours of the morning, a sea of red filled Avenida
Bolivar, the capital's principal boulevard and overflowed into Avenidas Mexico,
Lecuna, San Martin, and Universidad, dwarfing an opposition rally of around
200,000 the day before, as Chavez supporters wearing T-shirts emblazoned with
ŒYes to the reforms' danced and sang as they waited for Chavez who spoke at 5 in
the afternoon.
Perusing the crowd through a pair of binoculars, Chavez announced, "The avenida
Bolivar is full, overflowing on the north and south, over there avenida Lecuna
and avenida Universidad are full. The Bolivarian people are here saying ŒYes.'"
Chavez told his supporters that the reforms which would reduce the work week to
36 hours, allow for presidential reelection, recognize new forms of property,
and give more power to grass roots communal councils, will "open the path to
socialism."
He also emphasized that the vote on Sunday represents more than simply a vote on
the reforms. "To vote Œyes', is a vote for Chavez and the revolution, to vote
ŒNo' is a vote for Bush," he said.
"We are not simply confronting the pawns of imperialism, those that play the
dirty game of imperialism here," he said referring to the opposition, "Our true
enemy is US imperialism."
"This Sunday we will give another knockout to George W. Bush." he added.
However, Chavez said, "No-one should be surprised if the anti-Chavistas refused
to recognize the result," after a video released by Communications Minister
Jesse Chacon on Thursday showed opposition leaders calling supporters to reject
the results of the referendum on Sunday and create "pockets of protest" all
around the country to generate a political crisis for the government.
"I hope this does not happen, but if it does, the revolutionary government will
respond like it should, like a revolutionary government, together with the
people," Chavez said and called on his supporters to stay mobilized in the
streets after the referendum in order to prevent opposition inspired
disturbances.
"They say they will only recognize the results if they win ... and they will
take to the streets," Chavez told the rally. "Fine. We'll see you in the streets
then, we are not afraid."
Amidst fears that Venezuela could descend into violence if the vote is close,
including warnings of a potential civil war from Cuban leader, Fidel Castro,
Chavez said, "My life belongs the the Venezuelan people. I am a soldier, and if
I have to pick up a rifle to defend Venezuela, then I will."
Recalling the 2002 oil industry shutdown by the opposition, which caused an
estimated $10 billion loss to the Venezuelan economy, Chavez said he had also
ordered the military to secure oil fields and other installations on Sunday
night to prevent any acts of sabotage.
He also spoke of the destabilization and misrepresentation of Venezuela by the
international corporate media and threatened, "If any international channel
comes here to take part in an operation by imperialism against Venezuela your
reporters will be thrown out of the country, they will not be able to work
here," Chavez said. "People at CNN, listen carefully: This is just a warning."
If the opposition private TV channel Globovision, "takes part in the game of
imperialism" and if they violate Venezuelan law by publishing premature or false
election results before polls close, they will be taken off air immediately,
Chavez said as the crowd responded, chanting, "That is how one governs."
Dr Graciela Angarita, an orthopedic surgeon who attended the rally also
criticized the international media portrayal of Venezuela and told
Venezuelanalysis.com, "The truth is the majority of people support the president
and the reforms."
"The government has done a lot for the people," she said and pointed to the
social missions, which provide free education and healthcare. She explained that
under previous governments there was a lot of repression and the poor were
excluded.
"This is a revolution that is going to spread across all of Latin America," she
added.
After the rally Chavez supporters took over Plaza Altimira in the upper
middle-class, predominantly opposition suburb of Chacao in a street party that
lasted late into the night.
Source URL: http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/2942
Printed: December 2nd 2007
License: Published under a Creative Commons license (by-nc-nd). See
creativecommons.org for more information.
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