PLAN
GUARIMBA: ORGANIZING THE PEOPLE FOR
VIOLENCE
Venezuela’s opposition movement
has taken on a disturbing tone. Calls
for decentralized protest violence have increased in recent months. A number of opposition
leaders now espouse the so-called “Guarimba plan”-- systematic acts of violent
and disruptive civil disobedience designed to protest President Chavez,
generate headlines and create fear among civil society. The plan’s chief architect, a Cuban exile
named Robert Alonso, is currently sought by Venezuelan authorities for housing
more than 130 anti-government paramilitary forces on his farm outside
Caracas. More information on Guarimba
can be found at www.robertalonso.com.ve/GUARIMBA.htm. Statements by Alonso and other supporters
of opposition violence give pause to anyone concerned with a peaceful solution
in Venezuela:
·
“ ‘The Guarimba’ is the
name given to a perfectly designed plan that is applied at the same time in all
the major cities in Venezuela at the moment of RADICAL DEFENSE of the
nation…The Guarimba is anarchical. Everyone does whatever they want, depending
on their level of frustration. Once the city is completely shut down – fire
everywhere, barricades, etc. – some more extreme groups may do worse things.”
“If
we want to preserve the nation as we know it, to opt for bettering it and
converting it into a dignified Venezuela for our children and grandchildren,
then we must go out into the streets and stand strong before history. We must
RADICALLY APPLY THE GUARIMBA . . and not abandon it until will oust this
terrible and unimaginable national nightmare which could extend beyond our
borders.”
--From the Alonso website, http://www.robertalonso.com.ve/No%20101%20LA%20GUARIMBA.htm
·
When asked in an interview whether “…there are
reasons to depose the President,” ex-finance Minister Manuel Rosendo agreed,
stating, “I believe the National Armed Forces should take actions in that
respect. The Armed Forces establish the position of the generals and admirals
and I don’t think they will remain blind and deaf before the present
situation.”
--Interview from El Universal, Sunday, May 23, 2004
·
An Email sent by the
opposition group Bloque Democratico on May 14, quotes a statement published in
Venezuelan newspaper El Universal that day. "The regime needs to dismantle the opposition because the
Venezuela people have realized that the CNE has been bought…The Venezuelan
people have realized that the only way to get rid of the regime is through
civil disobedience…We demand all civilians and military to not be afraid and to
not fall for this perverse manipulation and to continue to organize to not
recognize the authority of this regime and to declare ourselves in active
disobedience, as per articles 333 and 350 of the Constitution.”
--“Bloque Democratico Insiste en la Desobedienca Civil,” E-mail
from Bloque Democratico, May 14, 2004
·
Daniel G. Cardozo M., Principal Editor of the Frente Democratico wrote, “IT IS TIME TO OVERTHROW
THE TYRANT, IT IS TIME TO FIGHT THE REGIME, IT IS TIME FOR THE GUARIMBA AND THE
FIGHT FOR FREEDOM.”
--E-mail address to Frente Democratico listserve, May 11, 2004
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