Openly fascist in Venezuela

I am going to be brief: today's event at Los Proceres was as tropical fascism as it gets. And on many levels.

Note that the only bright colored note on this VTV frame is Diosdado Cabello.

It was a regime support march for the Nazional Guard, those that have been beating up kids, torturing some, raping at least one and killed who knows how many exactly. Yes, the regime thought it was necessary to crate a "civico militar" event to support these poor stressed unloved Guards.


Civico Militar, Military Civilian for those late in the game, is an euphemism to translate the support of part of the population for a military regime that is now a dictatorship even if it made it to power through the agency of an elected president. The extent of that support is irrelevant, what matters is that it exists and it is willing to pose in their support, that it truly thinks that uncouth and corrupt soldiers are the best way to rule over a country. It also implies that key fascist element, that the state is the expression of the fusion of force with the enlightened citizen and that this is above all consideration. Thus, the violence and repression of the Nazional Guards is justified as they are "forced" to do as they did for the good of the state/nation/fatherland/whatever.

This being the tropics we do not have the organization of Nazi Germany, not even the ones from Italy, Spain or even Argentina under Peron. But the attempt at imagery is there. Look at the two pictures that frame this blog entry.

Red shirts having never been quite the thing (too alien for some, to reminiscent of other revolutions that do not exist anymore, amen that right wing parties have embraced red) the Maduro regime has gone all the way out in dark olive green garb, in a way that not even Chavez dared to do. You will notice that what we may call civilians are a minority in these pictures, nicely constricted between two walls of military personnel. Let's go beyind the considerations of the lack of appeal for civilians to appeal, or that the olive garb was equal part miltiai and armed forces forced to attend under orders. What the creators wanted was an image of force which showed that the armed forces are behind Maduro and that the lone civilians that will be protected, and even prosper, are those that will accept to meld in a military, shall we write it?, lifestyle.

To this you have as bonuses the Nurembergish venue, the vertical banners, the 8 stars as an updated fascio, and what not.

Tropical XXI century fascism. Prove me wrong!

I watched a couple of minutes of it and I was flabbergasted. Is the PR entourage of Maduro so clueless about past fascist symbols? Is that done on purpose or is it some kind of kinky folklore I just do not get?

I am still shaking, not with fear, but with disgust.