[NYTr] Chavez Delivers Hard-hitting Speech to Half a Million Suppporters

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

[Chavez's speech, according to Janicke, was much as described by Joaquin
Bustelo on the Marxism List; See
"On Chavez's Speech Ahead of Referendum" - Nov, 30, 2007
http://blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/Week-of-Mon-20071126/072395.html

Janicke estimates more than half a million attended the final "Si!"
Campaign Rally in Caracas. - NYTr]


Venezuelanalysis - Dec 1, 2007
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/2942

Venezuela:

Pro-Constitutional Reform Closes Campaign with Massive Rally

by Kiraz Janicke

Caracas, December 1, 2007 (venezuelanalysis.com) - In a hard-hitting
speech Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez told over 500,000 supporters at
the final campaign rally in favor of the proposed constitutional reform
on Friday, "If the ‘yes' vote wins on Sunday and the Venezuelan
oligarchy, playing the [U.S.] empire's game, comes with their little
stories of fraud," he will suspend all oil shipments to the U.S
immediately. "The U.S. will not receive one drop of oil," he declared.
Chavez also warned private media against promoting violence and
destabilization after the referendum.

Beginning in the early hours of the morning, a sea of red filled
Avenida Bolivar, the capital's principal boulevard and overflowed into
Avenidas Mexico, Lecuna, San Martin, and Universidad, dwarfing an
opposition rally of around 200,000 the day before, as Chavez supporters
wearing T-shirts emblazoned with ‘Yes to the reforms' danced and sang
as they waited for Chavez who spoke at 5 in the afternoon.

Perusing the crowd through a pair of binoculars, Chavez announced, "The
avenida Bolivar is full, overflowing on the north and south, over there
avenida Lecuna and avenida Universidad are full. The Bolivarian people
are here saying ‘Yes.'"

Chavez told his supporters that the reforms which would reduce the work
week to 36 hours, allow for presidential reelection, recognize new
forms of property, and give more power to grass roots communal
councils, will "open the path to socialism."

He also emphasized that the vote on Sunday represents more than simply
a vote on the reforms. "To vote ‘yes', is a vote for Chavez and the
revolution, to vote ‘No' is a vote for Bush," he said.

 "We are not simply confronting the pawns of imperialism, those that
play the dirty game of imperialism here," he said referring to the
opposition, "Our true enemy is US imperialism."

"This Sunday we will give another knockout to George W. Bush." he added.

However, Chavez said, "No-one should be surprised if the anti-Chavistas
refused to recognize the result," after a video released by
Communications Minister Jesse Chacon on Thursday showed opposition
leaders calling supporters to reject the results of the referendum on
Sunday and create "pockets of protest" all around the country to
generate a political crisis for the government.

"I hope this does not happen, but if it does, the revolutionary
government will respond like it should, like a revolutionary
government, together with the people," Chavez said and called on his
supporters to stay mobilized in the streets after the referendum in
order to prevent opposition inspired disturbances.

"They say they will only recognize the results if they win ... and they
will take to the streets," Chavez told the rally. "Fine. We'll see you
in the streets then, we are not afraid."

Amidst fears that Venezuela could descend into violence if the vote is
close, including warnings of a potential civil war from Cuban leader,
Fidel Castro, Chavez said, "My life belongs the the Venezuelan people.
I am a soldier, and if I have to pick up a rifle to defend Venezuela,
then I will."

Recalling the 2002 oil industry shutdown by the opposition, which
caused an estimated $10 billion loss to the Venezuelan economy, Chavez
said he had also ordered the military to secure oil fields and other
installations on Sunday night to prevent any acts of sabotage.

He also spoke of the destabilization and misrepresentation of Venezuela
by the international corporate media and threatened, "If any
international channel comes here to take part in an operation by
imperialism against Venezuela your reporters will be thrown out of the
country, they will not be able to work here," Chavez said. "People at
CNN, listen carefully: This is just a warning."

If the opposition private TV channel Globovision, "takes part in the
game of imperialism" and if they violate Venezuelan law by publishing
premature or false election results before polls close, they will be
taken off air immediately, Chavez said as the crowd responded,
chanting, "That is how one governs."

Dr Graciela Angarita, an orthopedic surgeon who attended the rally also
criticized the international media portrayal of Venezuela and told
Venezuelanalysis.com, "The truth is the majority of people support the
president and the reforms."

"The government has done a lot for the people," she said and pointed to
the social missions, which provide free education and healthcare. She
explained that under previous governments there was a lot of repression
and the poor were excluded.

"This is a revolution that is going to spread across all of Latin
America," she added.

After the rally Chavez supporters took over Plaza Altimira in the upper
middle-class, predominantly opposition suburb of Chacao in a street
party that lasted late into the night.