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Related: About this forumJailed Venezuela protest leader mocks Maduro's talks
Jailed Venezuela protest leader mocks Maduro's talks
By Andrew Cawthorne and Daniel Wallis
February 28, 2014 4:58 PM
CARACAS (Reuters) - Jailed Venezuelan protest leader Leopoldo Lopez scoffed on Friday at President Nicolas Maduro's efforts to open talks with opponents and businessman after a month of demonstrations and violence that have killed at least 17 people.
Maduro, 51, seems to have weathered the worst of an explosion of protests against his socialist government that exposed deep discontent with economic problems and brought the nation's worst unrest in a decade.
Some students are still setting up roadblocks and clashing with police in Caracas and the western state of Tachira. But the number of protesters has dropped, and many Venezuelans have begun heading for the beach to enjoy a long weekend for Carnival celebrations.
To try to ease the crisis further, Maduro has been holding talks with business and church leaders and some anti-government politicians, though the main opposition figures such as two-time presidential candidate Henrique Capriles have boycotted them.
More:
http://news.yahoo.com/jailed-venezuela-protest-leader-mocks-maduros-talks-151730715.html
MADem
(135,425 posts)Last edited Mon Mar 10, 2014, 12:25 PM - Edit history (1)
And, as we've learned, the protesters did not "head to the beach." Maduro told them to go to the beach, but they went to the "beach" they created on the streets. Here's yer beach:
Lopez hasn't been the focus of the protests for some time--he is still in Palo Ramo Verde. The leaders of these protests are the students.
Marksman_91
(2,035 posts)Lopez is only the tip of the iceberg. This whole mess has been a-brewin' for quite some time now and is only just starting to explode in Maduro's face. Lack of any logical economic policies, out-of-control crime, unchecked corruption from the highest political figures, scarcity of many food products and medical supplies, an annual inflation of over 50%, businesses unable to actually make a decent enough profit to keep running thanks to draconian price controls... It's really no wonder why more and more people are joining the protests and less and less people are actually doing rallies in favor of the regime. Hell, since the protests started, I don't know of any pro-government rallies that haven't been called for by the government itself, as if the Maduristas themselves didn't have a good enough reason to start them up by their own initiative.
MADem
(135,425 posts)I was translating in my head, there, I guess!
He'd probably MUCH rather be in Palo Verde!
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)Venezuelans are not fond of coups, for obvious reasons. Attmpting to take down a democratically elected government is treason. Not just here in the US, but in all democracies.
Marksman_91
(2,035 posts)I'm sure the more you say it, the more and more it will magically turn into one
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)happen before, and with some of the same characters involved. They should have been jailed for life when they were caught. They certainly would in this country. Chavez was too lenient with these traitors.
smokey775
(228 posts)How about a more recent article on how Maduro's attempted diversion failed and the protesters still came out in force?
Judi Lynn
(160,598 posts)DU'ers who've been here since the forum was opened years ago share material from all and any years.
Try to keep them straight.