Posted on 05/02/2002 2:07:40 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Hundreds of thousands of chanting, flag-waving Venezuelans marched for and against populist President Hugo Chavez on Wednesday, the first large demonstrations since bloody street clashes last month sparked a failed coup.
The rival marches in Caracas, the nation's capital, took place peacefully, as helmeted riot police stood guard.
But the fiery rhetoric in each camp highlighted the bitter divisions sparked by Chavez's 3-year-old rule in the oil-exporting South American nation.
Shouts of "Assassin, Assassin," and "Chavez Must Go" rose from the anti-government ranks. Protesters demanded the president step down or agree to a referendum on his rule.
Chavez supporters - many wearing the red berets made fashionable by the army paratrooper-turned president - held banners labeling the president's opponents "fascist dictators."
Ricardo Vannini, a 46-year-old businessman taking part in the anti-Chavez protests, blew on a whistle as he marched toward the whitewashed halls of Congress.
"I grew up with democracy and I never saw divisions like the ones we have now," Vannini said. "Chavez has planted hatreds that are scaring off investment."
A woman shakes hand of a police officer during a march to commemorate May Day in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, May 1, 2002. Thousands of Venezuelans marched against President Hugo Chavez on Wednesday, the first opposition demonstrations since bloody street fighting and a failed coup three weeks ago.(AP Photo/Fernando LLano)
Opposition forces were hoping to bounce back after the demoralizing events of Apr. 11-14.
Chavez was ousted by the military amid accusations that the president was to blame for the shooting deaths of 17 people during a massive anti-government march on the presidential palace. Three days later, loyalists troops backed by pro-Chavez militants swept him back into office.
With the killings still under investigation, some predicted people would be too scared to march Wednesday. But it appeared each side turned out at least 100,000 people.
"I was in bed crying for two days when they kicked out Chavez. Then when he came back we were so happy," said Haydee Carriella, 55-year-old woman who came out to support the president.
"The opposition was left like kings without crowns," she said.
Although many poor Venezuelans consider Chavez their champion, critics accuse him of pushing the country on the road to socialism since his 1998 election.
Chavez has become a close ally of communist Cuban president Fidel Castro (news - web sites), has stocked the government and judiciary with allies and has given the state a bigger role in the economy.
Critics say neighborhood groups Chavez organized to promote support for his "revolution" are turning into armed vigilante squads that intimidate dissenters.
At the pro-Chavez march, many proudly wore red T-shirts reading "Bolivarian circles," as the neighborhood groups are known.
Workers supporters of President Hugo Chavez hold a poster which reads: "Chavez the messiah, Bush the evil" during the commemoration of May Day in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, May 1, 2002. Chavez's supporters took to the streets in a rival march marking international workers' day. (AP Photo/Gregorio Marrero)
"The only weapons we have are the lessons we give the poor - to help them fight for their rights," said Angel Yaraguin, a farmer, joining a stream of people marching toward the presidential palace.
Since nearly losing the presidency, Chavez has promised a more conciliatory government. He named a state oil company director trusted by business leaders and welcomed opposition groups on Tuesday to seek common ground with the government.
But many remain distrustful. Opposition lawmakers are trying to force a referendum as early as December.
"I don't see any effort to change," said Carlos Ortega, head of the Venezuelan Workers' Confederation, the country's largest labor union, which organized the anti-Chavez march commemorating May Day. "He's just trying to buy time."
Perhaps more than any other action, the creation of the Bolivarian Circles has heightened the impression -- consistently denied by Chávez -- that he is building his own political army. As a result, the groups have become a critical point of confrontation between the president and his opponents. Opponents now say they've had enough of the Bolivarian Circles and are demanding that the president disarm and disband them as the first step toward the reconciliation that he promised following the April 11 coup attempt. The debate over the fate of these groups might go a long way toward resolving -- or deepening -- the political crisis engulfing Chávez.***
Red should be the color of Hugo Chavez's new constitution.
A supporter of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez holds up a copy of the national constitution in Caracas, Venezuela, during a rally April 19, 2002. With much the same energy shown during Mao Tse Tung's "Cultural Revolution" of the 1960s, some Venezuelans still pursue a "Bolivarian Revolution" based on the beliefs of a 19th-century patriot as filtered through the mind of President Hugo Chavez. Its nationalist ideals offer militant Chavez followers an element of racial and class redemption in a country long dominated by a mostly white elite. But some say that since Chavez took office three years ago, the revolution has become less a matter of ideology than of power.(AP Photo/Douglas Engle) - Apr 24 9:50 PM ET
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