The Comandante's Bikers - Venezuela

[Stallit 2 de Halfo]

The Comandante's Bikers - Venezuela

November 2007

Opposition groups accuse Chavez of using armed biker gangs to intimidate and harass them. They claim that under controversial new reforms, these gangs could become an official arm of government.
Wednesday night in Caracas. Shouting slogans like "Long Live the President!", hundreds of bikers race around the capital. "The bikers are just there to intimidate us. To make sure we don't come out and protest", complains one opposition supporter. The right wing has been invigorated by Chavez's controversial plans to push through constitutional reforms. "These changes would virtually legalize a dictatorship", claims the Mayor of Chacao. Every day, there are demonstrations against the new constitution. But as soon as the protests begin, the bikers turn up to disrupt them. "No one ever cared about us before this President", states one. "People will fight not to give up what they got from him".

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoOGTSfuxKk

[Papa C.]

The right wing in Venezuela are like Paisleyites. They're wealthy people with a lot to gain from right wing rule. I thought it was funny in 'The revolution will not be televised' to see people in tattered clothes cheering on Chavez and about 20 of the opposition in some sort of party with diamond necklaces and champaign calling him an evil dictator.

The right wing are 'intimidated' to stop them from protesting as they say but the poor don't have to fear exploitation, poverty, injustice, fear of police (who shot dead a number of people in the few weeks the right wing were let back into power during the coup and imposed martial law - by the way), and the poor get to kick out the bosses and run their own work places. These people complaining are probably the families of the boss man so boo hoo for them. Sounds like another hypocritical call of victimisation by the wealthy right wing.

I must say, it's great to see the so-called 'extreme' left speaking about the real revolution and the fact that the real inheritors of the country and economy are Simon Bovilar's people. I would agree with this analysis and that is why I don't see Venezuela as socialist yet. The idea that there is one representative for the people of Venuezuela and they don't represent themselves is anti-socialist. If Chavez wants to build socialism he should begin putting more power in the hands of the people, the conditions are now ripe for that to happen. Sure, he may not be perfect but he's a step in the right direction.

Still, in saying all of this, I'm not sure I agree with these pro-chavez 'militias' as everyone should have their voice heard in a democracy. Even the gobs***es. It's all about education and action. Why are these, what would seem to be very small groups of right wing people, get so much attention by the media. I'm sure a larger less well off group wouldn't get this attention.