Venezuelans protest over TV closure threat

CARACAS – Angry Venezuelan protesters and journalists yesterday headed for a showdown with the government of President Hugo Chavez, which is about to take over the country’s largest private television station.

RCTV was set to end its broadcasts at midnight yesterday after the government refused to renew its licence. It has scheduled a farewell programme, but employees have vowed to continue to occupy the studios overnight, possibly to hinder their handover to the government today.”A lot of us will sleep here in the station,” said news director Manuel Gago.”This is Venezuela, not Cuba!” chanted protesters rallying outside RCTV studios Saturday, banging pots and pans.”We have what it takes to fight!” The rally was reminiscent of protests that led to Chavez’s two-day ouster in a 2002 coup, for which he partly blames RCTV.Chavez has not forgotten RCTV’s cheerleading for that brief coup, and vowed soon after he was re-elected in late 2006 to close the station down.”The decision was mine,” to close it, he said, calling its steamy soaps “a danger for the country, for boys, for girls.”Chavez asked Venezuelans for calm during a speech in Barquisimeto, 300 kilometres west of the capital and warned of a tough response from the military if the protests turn violent.”I call on the country lest anyone be provoked or any group lend itself to creating chaos,” Chavez said.”Venezuelan armed forces are ready,” Chavez said.”Anyone generating violence will regret it.”Chavez has gradually tightened his grip on the levers of power in Venezuela, and in January the National Assembly allowed him to rule by decree, without legislative debate.Telecommunications Minister Jesse Chacon said the station’s staff “know that the licence has run out and should by now have taken measures.”Today, Chavez will relaunch the channel as a public service station, rechristened TVes, with four million dollars of government start-up money.Then, the government will control two of the four nationwide broadcast channels in Venezuela.Venezuelan journalists and international human rights advocates criticised the move, as did Peruvian President Alan Garcia.”We respect freedom of expression and of the press …which we feel are the oxygen of democracy,” he said.Nampa-AFPIt has scheduled a farewell programme, but employees have vowed to continue to occupy the studios overnight, possibly to hinder their handover to the government today.”A lot of us will sleep here in the station,” said news director Manuel Gago.”This is Venezuela, not Cuba!” chanted protesters rallying outside RCTV studios Saturday, banging pots and pans.”We have what it takes to fight!” The rally was reminiscent of protests that led to Chavez’s two-day ouster in a 2002 coup, for which he partly blames RCTV.Chavez has not forgotten RCTV’s cheerleading for that brief coup, and vowed soon after he was re-elected in late 2006 to close the station down.”The decision was mine,” to close it, he said, calling its steamy soaps “a danger for the country, for boys, for girls.”Chavez asked Venezuelans for calm during a speech in Barquisimeto, 300 kilometres west of the capital and warned of a tough response from the military if the protests turn violent.”I call on the country lest anyone be provoked or any group lend itself to creating chaos,” Chavez said.”Venezuelan armed forces are ready,” Chavez said.”Anyone generating violence will regret it.”Chavez has gradually tightened his grip on the levers of power in Venezuela, and in January the National Assembly allowed him to rule by decree, without legislative debate.Telecommunications Minister Jesse Chacon said the station’s staff “know that the licence has run out and should by now have taken measures.”Today, Chavez will relaunch the channel as a public service station, rechristened TVes, with four million dollars of government start-up money.Then, the government will control two of the four nationwide broadcast channels in Venezuela.Venezuelan journalists and international human rights advocates criticised the move, as did Peruvian President Alan Garcia.”We respect freedom of expression and of the press …which we feel are the oxygen of democracy,” he said.Nampa-AFP