President Hugo Chavez greets his supporters at the government march commemorating the anniversary of Venezuelan democracy in downtown Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2002. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Posted on 01/23/2002 11:27:54 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators marched in Caracas on Wednesday both for and against the government as the country marked the 44th anniversary of independence.
An anti-government crowd estimated at just above 100,000 banged pots, pans and drums and complained the government threatens liberties gained since a popular uprising ousted Venezuela's last dictator on Jan. 23, 1958.
Blocks away, an enthusiastic crowd of similar size marched to support President Hugo Chavez. Supporters claim the president is delivering the country from a corrupt oligarchy that took over after Gen. Marcos Perez Jimenez was ousted.
Chavez, wearing a red beret, joined the march and was mobbed by jubilant supporters.
The opposition demonstration was the largest street protest yet against Chavez's presidency and followed a general strike on Dec. 10 by labor and business that virtually shut down Venezuela. Strikers protested 49 laws decreed by Chavez that they said increased the state's role in the economy.
Wednesday's marches took separate paths, and more than 3,000 police and National Guard troops escorted demonstrators to prevent violence. Government supporters and opponents clashed in December when a pro-Chavez crowd stormed an opposition demonstration.
``Don't shoot. We're from Venezuela,'' one opposition banner read. ``Enough with dividing the country,'' read another.
``I voted for Chavez but I feel betrayed,'' said Arquimedes Gonzalez, a shopkeeper from the northern state of Sucre. ``We have to defend the democracy that we built after we ousted Perez Jimenez.''
Opposition leaders changed their march route, originally set to end at Congress, to avoid clashes after Chavez organized his ``counter-march'' last week.
President Hugo Chavez greets his supporters at the government march commemorating the anniversary of Venezuelan democracy in downtown Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2002. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Defense Minister Jose Vicente Rangel said Wednesday's demonstrations showed to the world a peaceful and vigorous Venezuelan democracy where dissenting voices are heard and welcomed.
Government supporters blame tensions on a middle class-based opposition bent on deposing Chavez, a former army officer who led a failed coup attempt in 1992 and was elected president in 1998.
They say Venezuela's elite resent Chavez's efforts to redistribute wealth among the poor through land reform and other populist measures.
``The opposition wants to instigate chaos. It wants a civil war. Anything to oust Chavez from the presidency,'' said Cilia Flores, a lawmaker with the ruling Fifth Republic Movement party.
Opposition leaders argue Chavez's scathing criticism of Venezuela's ``oligarchy'' has fomented class division. They say his rants against the press have instigated attacks against journalists and that he has moved to accumulate authoritarian powers.
On Sunday, Chavez reprimanded a group of his supporters who harassed reporters trying to cover a presidential speech. News media leaders dismissed his words as too little, too late.
``Chavez instigates attacks against the press,'' said Miguel Henrique Otero, director of the Caracas daily El Nacional. ``Civil society is uniting. This time they are going to take the streets.''
Chavez's approval rating was about 35 percent in December, down from more than 60 percent in January 2001.
The opposition hoped its march would demonstrate unprecedented unity by including labor unionists, business leaders, conservative political parties and radical student groups.
Opponents of President Hugo Chavez march through the streets of Caracas, January 23, 2002. Tens of thousands of opponents and supporters of Chavez choked the rain-soaked streets of Caracas in two rival marches as the resurgent opposition tested its strength on the anniversary of the birth of modern Venezuelan democracy. REUTERS/Kimberly White
It claims that by replacing Venezuela's discredited, opposition-controlled congress and supreme court, Chavez has amassed excessive powers.
It was the first time as president that Chavez marked the anniversary of Venezuelan democracy. He previously celebrated the Feb. 4 anniversaries of his failed military coup.
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