Epoch Times | Venezuela's Students Speak

On May 27 in Caracas, the students of Venezuela began protesting in huge numbers, peacefully walking the streets of Venezuela's capital. While these protests were triggered by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's decision not to renew the broadcast license of Venezuela's most popular TV station, RCTV, they are clearly about much more than a broadcasting license.

Since the students began protesting they have endured attacks with tear gas, water cannon, and rubber bullets. One student has died from gunshot wounds suffered while she was protesting (the Chavez regime claims this murder had no relation to the unrest; some students claim they saw the police murder her), and there are other reports of students being hit by gunfire.

Inside Venezuela the students feel the media has almost been silenced. According to the students, only one very weak TV station still broadcasts honest reports about the situation there. A number of the students have e-mailed The Epoch Times, looking for the opportunity to tell the world why they have taken to the streets. This weekend, Chavez shut down two internet sites that were reporting on the protests: Radio Caracas (the internet site for RCTV) and Radionexx.

Chavez also ordered his followers to stage counter-demonstrations on Sunday. The students, wishing to avoid any potential for conflict, decided to suspend their public protest on Sunday. Instead, they gathered on a highway that is always closed on Sunday mornings for pedestrian traffic, and there they spelled out the word "Freedom." Showing the goal of their protests. They plan to be back on Caracas' streets on Monday, and to continue protesting until the situation changes.

"They are taking away our democracy, WAKE UP!" (By anonymous)

We publish excerpts from several of their e-mails below, with each section drawn from a different student's e-mail. We have not published the authors' names in order to protect them from the possibility of reprisal. For the same reason, we don't provide the names of the photographers of the accompanying pictures.

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"The peaceful students are protesting because our freedom is in jeopardy. We are not political people, we are college students with one motivation: our country. The peaceful movement of Venezuelan students has one objective, to stand before our government, a government that wants to end our right to think, our right to be different, our right to be Venezuelans.
We say it out loud, we are not protesting for RCTV, we are protesting for our freedom to think differently than the president and his comrades. Our unique motivation is our country. We don't want a civil war. We don't want the spilling of the blood of the innocent people in Venezuela. We only want a free country."

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"We are protesting because no one can decide for us what we can watch on the TV, where we can walk in our country, or what we can say about whatever we think about the political situation in our country. RCTV was a TV channel against the government. They showed us the real situation of our country. We do not want to hear that Chavez is the best thing ever. We want to decide what to watch on our own TV sets, without being persecuted by policemen.
Chavez and all his people are not paying attention to us. But I think we have had an international effect, and Venezuelans are so proud of the Venezuelan students. We Venezuelans have taken so long to wake up to this hard, political situation.
The government is afraid to listen to us, to talk to us. They hide everywhere we go, and send policemen, as well as really poor and violent people, to attack us."

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"We students are protesting because we feel, we know, that our rights as citizens of the Republic have been denied. ...Since 2002, Venezuelan media have been oppressed, at least those who aren't in tune with the Government. This oppression became more evident when Chávez decided not to renew RCTV's license, resulting in the closing down of the network.
This represents a violation to the right of freedom of expression that every Venezuelan is granted according to the Constitution of our nation. We protest because it is not fair that we, the people, have to see what Chávez wants us to see, hear what Chávez wants us to hear, or think as Chávez wants us to think.
Our protest is both a political and a humanitarian protest. It is political because we feel that the Government's behavior to the ones who differ in opinion with it is uncalled for, it is not fair that the Government takes into account the thinking of those who favor them before the needs of all Venezuelans.
This has to change, Venezuela had always been a free country, sympathizers from different political parties had always gotten along during the 40 pre-Chávez years of democracy, but in his 8 and a half years in charge, Chávez has planted discord amongst us. Marriages end, friendships cease to exist, people are fired from their jobs—all due to different political opinions. And it should not be like this, because it is leading to a civil war in Venezuela. I am truly worried for my future in my country, just because I think differently than the Government.
This fear should not exist. We, the people, should not be afraid to think differently, we should be free. This is a dictatorship in the disguise of democracy, which does not exist. Our protest is humanitarian because the rights of every Venezuelan are being violated, not just of those who are not in favor of Chávez's regime. RCTV is an institution of Venezuelan freedom of speech, and its closing marks the showing of the Government's true colors. We ask for no more than our human rights, which the Government has to grant us!
We protest not for the closing of a network, but for the closing off of our rights. This is, obviously, unacceptable from a "democratic" regime. This is what has moved us to protest against the Government's decision. But, sadly, it seems our protests have had no effect…
If the Government doesn't hear our protests, the international community can, shall, and will listen to us. We have encountered resistance from the Venezuelan authorities. Municipal Police (in Caracas), the National Guard, and regional police departments try to prevent us from peaceful marching and protesting by using tear gas, hosing down people with water trucks, and even resorting to the use of firearms against civilians—unarmed, peacefully protesting civilians...
Everyone has to see what Chávez has done to our beautiful nation. Everyone has to see that Venezuela is no longer a free country.
What is taking place is a "Cubanization" of Venezuela. Chávez's so-called "21st Century Socialism" is some lousy, poorly thought out, wrongly applied, 40-year-old conception of what should be in a country that is nowhere near to what Venezuela is. It is a socialist model that wants us all to be poor. It is not based on the thought "Why can't everyone be as rich (economically and mentally) as X?" Instead, this system is based on the thought "Why isn't X as poor as everyone else?"
This misconception is what is tearing our nation apart. It is not the raising of everyone that is poor, but the downfall of everyone that is rich. This should not be. What is of the greatest concern is where this will this take us. The obvious response is "Down."
This is what concerns everyone, not only we College Students, but everyone. To conclude, James Hetfield's words are the ones that describe Venezuela's situation: 'Justice is lost, justice is raped, justice is gone.' [James Hetfield is a member of the rock group Metallica.]"

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"These days show that the government will not stop its violence and will carry out any plan to 'shut-up' the voices of the future of Venezuela. Because of this we require respect for all human rights. We are protesting without violence, without guns, in an open hearted way with our hands extended."

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