The White Race opposition to Hugo Chavez

Yesterday there was a huge march in support of the candidacy of Manuel Rosales against Hugo Chavez, sitting president of Venezuela, current idol of a saurian left and vocal anti globalization/anti US Empire leader, and last but not least wanna-be Fidel Castro heir.

One of the arguments to support Chavez coming from this more and more unsavory crowd, ready to accept anything, any human right violation, any abuse, as long as it is done in the name of the anti Bush brigade is that Chavez represents the oppressed racial groups of Venezuela, you know, the “coloured”. Consequently, in a widely tooted argument by media (from the BBC to minor joints, passing through AP or Le Figaro) that should know much better, only the “white rich minority” support the opposition to Chavez. The inner stupidity of this posture was already established in 2004 when 40% of Venezuela voted against Chavez implying that the country is much richer and whiter than previously thought. But apparently many still have to get the message that Venezuela is a racially mixed country. If it is true, like everywhere else, that the darker your skin the less likely it is that you will have access to riches and power, racial problems in Venezuela are infinitely less grave than, say, Brazil, Bolivia or the US. But clichés are so handy to push a political agenda. Chavez, far from bridging any racial divide in Venezuela, has used racial division as a tool to gain and keep power, something for which history will punish him some day.

Alek Boyd has been following the trail of yesterday’s event in Caracas and he published his pictures here. He has a privileged position as he works close to the Rosales team in the campaign trail. The first blogger ever, by the way, to reach such a position in a political campaign that I know of.

Still, sometimes I wonder if Alek, in the hustle and push of the campaign realizes how important some of the pictures he takes are. The one I have selected is so telling as to the diversity of Venezuelan population and as to how many “dark skinned” folks oppose Chavez authoritarianism, that it deserves a special mention. This picture was taken as the march was leaving the alleged chavista strongholds (walking through Parque Los Caobos) of Caracas and moving to “whiter” areas of Caracas. As an exercise find all the different shades of skin color in the picture. You might be surprised at the color that opposes Chavez. And there is a David Star of which I leave interpretation to the reader.


Just to end this note, I was planning to put up a photo report of the march from pictures sent me by many friends and relatives who went, but I suggest that you just visit Alek’s photo blog. It is enough. I will select two more of these pictures that are particularly meaningful for a later post today but there is no point in trying to outdo Alek.

PS: by the way, as the US congress is about to switch sides, what other argument to oppose the US will come from Chavez and his crowd? Just wondering how they will manage to hate the US now while they used to pretend that they only hated Bush. It will be interesting to observe.