AFP. 8 January 2002. Press highly critical of Venezuela's Chavez after
move to sway daily; US concerned by attempts to intimidate Venezuelan
opposition, press.

CARACAS -- Venezuelan media declared a "state of alert" Tuesday, citing
interference with press freedom by President Hugo Chavez, a day after a
group of his supporters surrounded a newspaper office for four hours.

Venezuela's Press Association issued the alert after some 200 Chavez
sympathizers launched an aggressive protest late Monday outside the
headquarters of the El Nacional daily, a vocal critic of Chavez's
regime.

The protest outside the newspaper's headquarters by demonstrators
claiming it was telling lies "is without precedent in Venezuela's
democratic era," said Press Association vice president Andres de Armas.

The media group said it would denounce the protest, which police
eventually broke up with the use of tear gas, to the Organization of
American States, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and
international media.

Press editorials and headlines Tuesday described the demonstration as
"fascist," saying it pushed Chavez's Venezuela closer to a break with
democracy.

El Nacional editorial coordinator Sergio Dahbar described Monday's
protest as a "well thought out plan to scare off the media." "We have to
realize this, understand the plan," said Dahbar. "We have to be alert
and on guard."

And general secretary of media workers union SNTP Gregorio Salazar said
that signs from government leaders clearly showed democracy was under
threat.

"Signs from government leaders ... lead us to think that the regime will
definitively cross that line if it is not controlled by the
institutions," Salazar told AFP.

Meanwhile [and ominously], the United States [who admits to censoring
war coverage in the US] expressed concern Tuesday over attempts by
supporters of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to intimidate the
country's opposition and independent press.

"We're concerned about the attempts by Chavez supporters to intimidate
both opposition politicians and the press," State Department spokesman
Richard Boucher said.

Boucher said Washington recognized the legality of demonstrations in
democratic countries but said the United States was nevertheless
"concerned about the events of last (Monday) night."

In a show of support for the free press, the US ambassador to Venezuela,
Donna Hrinak, was to visit the El Nacional offices on Tuesday, Boucher
said.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Barry Stoller
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ProletarianNews


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