MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chavez threatens to sanction another television network

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez threatened Tuesday to sanction Globovision television station if they continue “to incite a murder attempt on his life” and insisted that the students' rioting allegedly to protest the taking out of the air of another network was part of a “de-stabilization plan”.

Police fired tear gas and plastic bullets as thousands protested across the country against the closure Sunday midnight of Venezuela's oldest TV network, Radio Caracas TV. Chavez insisted that RCTV had tried to undermine his government. Communications Minister William Lara said Globovision had called for the death of Mr Chavez by airing footage of the 1981 assassination attempt against Pope John Paul II with the song "This Does Not Stop Here" sung by Ruben Blades. "The conclusion of the specialists ... is that (in this segment) they are inciting the assassination of the president of Venezuela," Mr Lara said, as he filed a lawsuit against the news network at the state prosecutor's office. The government was also suing the US station CNN for allegedly linking Mr Chavez to al-Qaeda, Mr Lara said. "CNN broadcast a lie which linked President Chavez to violence and murder," he said. In a statement, CNN said they "strongly deny" being "engaged in a campaign to discredit or attack Venezuela". Globovision director Alberto Federico Ravell rejected the accusations against his station as "ridiculous". Globovision was the only TV station to air footage of a large demonstration against the government's growing control over the media. Taking the RCTV network out off the air was "a sovereign, legitimate decision, there's nothing to discuss about", said Chavez in his first public appearance since RCTV had to end its signal Sunday midnight to be replaced by a state managed station. Beware the "enemies of the fatherland, particularly those "behind the scenery" if they continue to call for public disobedience or the killing of the president. I recommend you take a sedative if not I will have to act", he said. "A destabilization plan is on the move, I'm making it public to the people of Venezuela and I call on the fathers of students to avoid them been used as cannon fodder", added President Chavez. Meanwhile, protests are continuing across Venezuela and in one of the largest demonstrations in the capital, Caracas, at least ten people were reported injured in clashes when riot police battled with up to 5,000 protesters, some of whom tossed rocks and bottles.