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Maduro's goons storm Venezuela National Assembly and beat up lawmakers

Thursday, July 6th 2017 - 04:53 UTC
Full article 20 comments

About a hundred government supporters stormed into Venezuela's opposition-controlled National Assembly, where they beat up several lawmakers. Witnesses said the confrontation came after an assembly session to mark the country's Independence Day, Wednesday July 5th. Read full article

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  • Capt Rockhopper

    Maduro's goons' probably members of his secret police seeing as the regular police just stepped aside and let them in. So the question will be, when is all out civil war going to start? Maduro will not be one of those who gets to die in his bed peacefully at home.

    Jul 06th, 2017 - 06:19 am - Link - Report abuse +2
  • Bisley

    If Mercosur wants to help the Venezuelan people, it needs to provide them with arms and ammunition. The only way Maduro and his thugs will give up power is dead.

    Jul 06th, 2017 - 08:29 am - Link - Report abuse +1
  • golfcronie

    I really fell sorry for the Venezuelans as they elected him to take charge, did they not?

    Jul 06th, 2017 - 01:02 pm - Link - Report abuse +1
  • Jack Bauer

    Mercosur's joint communiqué condemning the attack will have no effect on Maduro, as have none of the recent warnings. All countries, especially those from Latin America (excluding Cuba, of course), should cut all commercial and diplomatic relations with VZ immediately, and do all they can to speed up the demise of the MadUrine government.

    Jul 06th, 2017 - 02:49 pm - Link - Report abuse +2
  • Kanye

    At least one poster on MP believes that it should be left to Mercosur (a trade organization and talking shop) and the OAS should be the ones to help Venezuela, and the US should stay out.

    The OAS has offered nothing.

    Mercosur:
    “Mercosur members in a joint communiqué strongly rejected “violence against the Venezuelan Legislative” and called on the government to end immediately all speech and actions... to respect human rights, the rule of the law and government branches. It also reiterated its willingness to help the Venezuelan people find a way out to the current serious situation.”

    It seems like only empty words from a trade organisation.

    Argentine government, no comment? No armed forces and no way to project any influence, anyway.

    Brazil? Nothing.

    Bolivia, in full support of Maduro, and now challenging Chile with a perpetual border
    dispute ( much like the Falklands and Argentina).

    The US government has expressed outrage at the attack on opposition politicians in the National Assembly.

    Meanwhile, Maduro celebrates with his military, elsewhere.

    Relax, namby-pambies, there. will be. O intervention. The ordinary people of Venzla will be left to fight a ruthless totalitarian and it's well-fed self interested military.

    Jul 06th, 2017 - 03:02 pm - Link - Report abuse +1
  • Tarquin Fin

    Jack,

    I would agree with you, but cutting all commercial ties to Venezuela will only affect the poorest of its citizens. They already have trouble getting basic products. A great number of those basic products comes from other countries in the region. Maduro will be unaffected. I bet he has been stockpiling tons of toilet paper lately.

    Jul 06th, 2017 - 04:58 pm - Link - Report abuse +3
  • Jack Bauer

    Tarquin
    Agree....then stop sending everything but the basic products...

    Jul 06th, 2017 - 06:27 pm - Link - Report abuse +2
  • BigPete

    The Venezuelan legislature & Attorney General Luisa Ortega Diaz need to immediately declare the executive branch and Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) in violation of Article 326 of the Constitution as of the date of the illegal removal of members of the elected opposition party in the legislature.
    Any and all laws, directives &/or fiduciary agreements executed by the federal branch, TSJ or military (in violation of Articles 83-85, never Article 350) since that time should be considered null and void.
    This includes the call for a new Constitutional Assembly under Article 348 by the President, as he & the Supreme Court are seated in violation of the existing constitution.
    Venezuela is on the road to seeing millions die.
    It will not be saved by a mortgaging the future to Russia, China or (again) the United States.
    The future lies with the people of Venezuela.
    You have the resources and talent to feed yourselves and be prosperous, even without oil.
    You now have a National legislature that no longer sees having a party every day as their major function.
    Wake up before it is too late.
    If nothing else, please ask Spain (even or perhaps, especially, on the anniversary of independence) or the Vatican to intercede to deliver the desperately needed medical & food supplies stolen by the government.
    Buena Suerte.

    Jul 06th, 2017 - 07:12 pm - Link - Report abuse +3
  • DemonTree

    Referring to me, Kanye? I said the US should not invade Venezuela, I'm not opposed to sanctions IIF they would help; they certainly have not improved things for ordinary people in Cuba. Banning the sale of weapons to the Venezuelan government seems reasonable.

    You never answered me in the other thread, what do you think the US and Canada can or should do?

    Jul 06th, 2017 - 11:21 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Heisenbergcontext

    Those who are still propping up the current regime, in defiance of the country's constitution,are not motivated by ideology - if they ever were. Rather they are inspired by selfishness, greed and fear. The whole situation is truly Kafaesque in it's absurdity: oil is being forecast to decline to the mid $40's, soon there will be nothing left to plunder...and what then?

    The longer Maduro stays in power the greater his chances of becoming the 21st century Ceaucescu. It's stupefying that someone this dense could assume this much power.

    Jul 07th, 2017 - 01:19 am - Link - Report abuse +1
  • Troy Tempest

    Heidenberg,

    This time, I fully agree with you

    Jul 07th, 2017 - 06:38 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • ElaineB

    @ Heisenbergcontext

    “Rather they are inspired by selfishness, greed and fear”.

    The military are being paid handsomely to keep him in power. The local authorities are not going hungry but are able to help themselves to anything they want. Too right they want the current situation to continue because they are not suffering but profiting from the situation. Meantime the population starves.

    Jul 07th, 2017 - 09:42 am - Link - Report abuse +2
  • DemonTree

    The military must have families who are suffering, they must see that the current downward spiral cannot continue and that Maduro needs to go. I doubt they will all stay loyal to him, isn't that why he's building up his own militia from supporters?

    “It's stupefying that someone this dense could assume this much power.”

    Gotta say I agree with this. It's the problem when a charismatic leader chooses their successor, they want someone who will follow their lead blindly and doesn't have a mind of their own.

    Jul 07th, 2017 - 10:24 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Heisenbergcontext

    @DT

    No doubt many in the military are aware that conditions in their country are unsustainable, but they aren't the ones holding the levers of power. Put it this way: Venezuela has more generals than the United States despite having less than 10% of the population.

    Jul 07th, 2017 - 02:34 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Jack Bauer

    @DT
    “...Gotta say I agree with this. It's the problem when a charismatic leader chooses their successor, they want someone who will follow their lead blindly and doesn't have a mind of their own...”

    Exactly what Lula intended when he hand-picked Dumbo Rouseff to be his successor...

    Jul 07th, 2017 - 05:19 pm - Link - Report abuse +1
  • DemonTree

    @HC
    I didn't know that. I wonder how loyal they really are? But even if part of the army tries to organise a coup, the result is likely to be a civil war, unfortunately.

    @JB
    I think Rousseff could have done fine in another position, but I don't believe she was suited to being President and don't think she would have been elected without Lula's support. So yes, this applies to her too.

    Jul 07th, 2017 - 05:42 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Jack Bauer

    @DT
    The loyalty of the VZ military to Maduro is proportional to the amount of money he throws at them...

    Jul 07th, 2017 - 06:17 pm - Link - Report abuse +1
  • ElaineB

    @ DT

    A journalist friend of mine was in Venezuela recently. The military take care of their own families and themselves. They are doing well out of the system and all the time they are making money they are not inclined to change. One murmur of dissent and you can imagine their fate and their families. Madmen rule by fear and the lack of law give no one protection.

    Jul 07th, 2017 - 06:25 pm - Link - Report abuse +1
  • DemonTree

    I suppose you are both right, but you'd think they'd have friends and neighbours outside the army, or their families would. However a civil war is not exactly a great outcome anyway.

    I do wonder how long before the whole country goes broke, I'm surprised it's lasted this long. What happens when Maduro can no longer pay Venezuela's debts?

    Jul 07th, 2017 - 10:26 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Kanye

    I don't know that the ordinary Venzla people can do anything without outside help.
    The rest of LATAM won't intervene, and the US would be foolish to mire themselves in yet another futile 'boots on the ground' venture.

    However, who knows what group will step in to fill the vacuum left by Maduro. The US may want to safeguard against that.

    There is likely much the US can do to further curtail refining and oil revenues. Doubt they can shut down the narco economy though.

    Of course, starving out Maduro means further hardship for the people.

    Jul 08th, 2017 - 02:57 am - Link - Report abuse 0

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