Chávez's dominance of government, which already extends from the Supreme Court to Congress, is one of the principal motives cited by supporters of a nationwide strike that enters its 45th day today. By taking heavy arms away from the police loyal to his nemesis -- Peña -- Chávez weakens one of the only forces friendly to the opposition and strengthens his own grip on power. In eight pre-dawn raids, the military seized 581 submachine guns, 1,712 shotguns, 14 riot-control rifles equipped to fire nonlethal bullets, as well as tear gas launchers and ammunition clips, the police said. The 10,000 officers were allowed to keep their .38-caliber revolvers.
''Instead of disarming the criminals, they disarm the police,'' Police Director Henry Vivas complained. ``It's unprecedented.'' Chávez's opponents said officers were being left defenseless in a nation that registered 9,244 homicides last year, about 2,000 of those in the capital. ''I cannot assume the responsibility of sending a police officer to his death so he can confront delinquents with just a .38 [pistol],'' Peña said. ``The delinquents carry laser[-sighted] guns, bazookas, rifles and machine guns.***
We were part of a peaceful demonstration of several hundred thousand Venezuelans who were marching to demand early elections as a democratic solution to the current political crisis. Near the end of the route, we were ambushed by armed civil groups who attacked us with tear gas, stones, sticks and guns. All of this took place before the indolent eyes of the military police, who at first were just strolling along as the armed gangs were shooting. But soon we saw with astonishment that the police were handing more tear-gas grenades to our attackers and coordinating their moves. When I later saw the events reported by CNN, Reuters, the Associated Press and The New York Times as a ''confrontation'' between government supporters and the opposition, I was appalled. What confrontation? I said to myself while remembering the terror in my daughter's eyes and in the thousands of unarmed demonstrators who were forced to flee.
Armed civilian groups responding to government orders are not new. Fascist and communist regimes have used them for the same purpose as the Chávez government: to intimidate opponents and to disguise government repression under a civilian facade. The armed Bolivarian Circles have already been denounced by Organization of American States Secretary General César Gaviria, who has found deaf ears not only in Chávez and his cabinet members but in the attorney general and the ombudsman as well.
The foreign press has failed to report the truth about events in Venezuela such as the march in which I participated. On Christmas Day, Boston Globe correspondent Marion Lloyd described the Circles as ''watchdog groups to support the Chávez government.'' No mention was made of their role as an illegal armed militia. The Circles terrorize those who dare to dissent with the government.***