Three Venezuelan unionists assassinated

[subsuelo]

Three trade unionists, Richard Gallardo, Luis Hernández and Carlos Requena--leaders of the National Union of Workers (UNT) labor federation and members of Socialist Unity of the Left--were assassinated November 27 in the Venezuelan state of Aragua. According to reports, they were killed while making their way home after participating that day in a labor dispute at a factory belonging to the Colombian-owned Alpina food processing company.

"There is speculation that the attack was carried out by paramilitaries hired by the Colombian company, which is reported to have utilized paramilitaries in similar disputes in its home country," the Venezuelanalysis.com Web site reported. "However, the day before, the unionists had also been attacked by the Aragua state police aligned with outgoing opposition governor Didalco Bolivar," a former ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, who defected to the right-wing opposition last year.

The killings highlight the growing conflict across Venezuela in the wake of November 23 regional elections in which the right wing made some gains against the Chávez government.

http://socialistworker.org/2008/12/01/venezuelan-unionists-assassinated">Socialist Worker - read more

[Judi Lynn]

1. We usually hear about things like this years and years later, right?

You remember the Pepsi Company was also involved in Nixon's destruction of Salvador Allende's government. Hope to be able to find more articles on this, as time goes by.

Found this small one, after seeing your more detailed report:

Venezuela: three unionists murdered
Submitted by WW4 Report on Tue, 12/02/2008 - 02:52.

Three leftist Venezuelan unionists were shot dead the night of Nov. 27 in the city of Cagua, southwest of Caracas in Aragua state, just days after two of them ran unsuccessfully in Nov. 23 state and municipal elections. In what appeared to be a planned assassination, one or two armed men on a motorbike gunned the unionists down as they were leaving a nightclub. The victims were Richard Gallardo, president of the Aragua branch of the National Workers Union (UNT), the main leftist labor confederation; Carlos Requena, a UNT national coordinator; and Luis Hernández, the general secretary of the union at Pepsi Cola de Venezuela's plant in Villa de Cura in southern Aragua.

The three men were also leaders in the Left Socialist Unity party (USI). Gallardo had been the USI candidate for deputy from Zamora municipality to the Aragua legislature, while Hernández ran for major of Zamora on the USI ticket, losing to Aldo Lovera from the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), the party of President Hugo Chávez Frias. Some media noted that Hernández had planned to file a challenge on Nov. 28 to the voting results in the mayoral race. But pro-Chávez media, the USI and UNT spokesperson Orlando Chirinos stressed that on Nov. 27 Gallardo, Requena and Hernández had been participating with activities with 400 workers at the Alpina food processing plant who said they had been attacked by state police. Aragua's current governor is Didalco Bolívar, an opponent of Chávez; the PSUV won the state back with the election of Aragua Mario Isea on Nov. 23.

Supporters of the murdered unionists protested on Nov. 28, forcing stores to close in Villa de Cura. Unionists and the USI have called for an investigation by the national government. Some people have pointed out that Alpina is owned by Colombians and that political assassinations in Colombia often involve similar attacks by killers on motorbikes. (USI press release, Nov. 28 via Aporrea; Prensa Latina, Nov. 28; El Universal, Venezuela, Nov. 28; El Nacional, Venezuela, Nov. 29; Venezuelanalysis.com, Nov. 29)

http://www.ww4report.com/node/6437

[Bacchus39]

2. Hernandez was to challenge the election results

"It was disclosed that Hernández had plans to challenge on Friday the results of the election won by the new mayor, Aldo Lovera, of pro-government United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV)."

http://english.eluniversal.com/2008/11/28/en_pol_art_two-opposition-leade_28A2150579.shtml