Page 29 - min.soc 9 jan,2016

WORLD NEWS A11
Venezuelan socialists protest new congress’ ban on Chavez
An oversized portrait of Venezuela’s late President Hugo Chavez
that was recently removed from the National Assembly build-
ing, now stands in Bolivar Square in Caracas, Venezuela, Thurs-
day, Jan. 7, 2016.
FABIOLA SANCHEZ
Associated Press
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP)
— Although the face of
Hugo Chavez is already
plastered on walls through-
out much of the Venezu-
elan capital, the late lead-
er’s supporters are now
vowing to put up images of
the “eternal commander”
on every street corner.
Caracas Mayor Jorge Ro-
driguez gave the order at a
rally Thursday to protest the
decision by the new oppo-
sition-controlled congress
to banish from the neoclas-
sical legislature building all
images of Chavez and his
mentor, independence
hero Simon Bolivar.
Chavistas have been en-
raged by a video playing
non-stop on state media
showing the congress’
new leader, Henry Ramos,
cracking jokes while order-
ing workers to haul away a
giant billboard of Chavez.
“I don’t want to see Chavez
or Maduro,” Ramos says in
the video, shot from a cell-
phone on his first day on
the job. “Take it all to Mira-
flores, or the trash,” he says, undeniably desecrated,”
referring to the presidential
palace.
At the rally Thursday out-
side the National Assembly
in Plaza Bolivar, hundreds
Saturday 9 January 2016

Chavez, who died in 2013 thirds majority in congress, moved from congress is a
suffering from cancer, is taking control of the body giant reconstruction of Bo-
revered by millions of poor for the first time in 17 years. livar’s face based on an
Venezuelans who benefit- Foes of the socialists note exhumation of his remains
ed from social programs that while Chavez’s eyes ordered by Chavez. The im-
(AP Photo/Fernando Llano) like free housing and medi- are everywhere — pro- age has long stirred contro-
cal attention. A stencil of viding a protective gaze versy because it was given
his eyes, on giant red bill- or Big Brother-like dose of a darker complexion that
boards and spray-painted despotism, depending on contrasts with 19th century
on buildings, is the most the viewer’s political views paintings in which Bolivar is
ubiquitous image in the — his chosen successor, shown with more European
country. Maduro, is rarely lionized in features.
Opponents say the so- the same way, which they Ramos in the video says the
cialists’ outrage is being say is a reflection of grow- only depiction he wants to
feigned to distract from the ing discontent among Ven- see of Bolivar in the legisla-
economic crisis that led to ezuelans. ture is the “classic” one.
the government’s thrashing In Bolivar, however, Ramos “That’s no Simon Bolivar, it’s
in legislative elections last picked on a more univer- an invention of this man, a
month, when opposition sally beloved figure. crazy thing,” Ramos says,
candidates won a two- Among the images re- referring to Chavez.
of government supporters
dressed in red swore loy-
alty to Chavez and Bolivar.
One protester dressed up
as Uncle Sam pulling the
strings of a cut-out Ramos.
“I have to defend their
honor for my children, my
grandchildren and great
grandchildren,” said one
protester, 77-year-old Eva
Prada, who held images of
both Chavez and Bolivar.
President Nicolas Maduro
visited Chavez’s mauso-
leum accompanied by his
newly appointed Cabi-
net to lend his support to
the campaign. In a fiery
speech before dozens of
military officers, he called
the removal of Bolivar’s
portrait from congress the
most-serious affront to the
memory of “the Libera-
tor” in the nearly 200 years
since his death. He ordered
that every military family
be given pictures of Boli-
var and Chavez to hang in
their homes.
“I don’t know how each
of us should react, in our
hearts and minds, when the
entire fatherland has been
Defense Minister Vladimir
Padrino told troops at the
mausoleum, which is in a
historic fort atop a Caracas
slum.