Molotov Attack on Public TV Station in Venezuela

Santa Elena de Uairen, February 10, 2015. (venezuelanalysis.com)- At 3 AM yesterday morning, two unidentified individuals armed with Molotov cocktails attacked the Western headquarters of the state television station Vive TV, in Venezuela.

The broadcasting station, located in the wealthy oil city of Maracaibo, Zulia state, sustained minor damages, authorities reported on Monday, thanks to a large piece of production equipment which blocked the Molotovs from entering the building. No one was injured in the assault.

Branch director Jose Luis Mendez says he believes the assailants meant to burn the building down, as a threat to the network’s staff.

Though this assumed goal was not achieved, Mendez noted the attack caused a “psychological stir” in the work space.

Communications minister Jaqueline Farias tweeted a message of solidarity with the Vive TV staff yesterday, assuring workers that “the fascist efforts to intimidate us will not succeed, we are motivated by our love for the continued strengthening of spaces for peoples’ media.” 

No further information has been released regarding the identity of the attackers, though government authorities have correlated the attacks with the wave of opposition violence that swept the country in February of last year, resulting in 43 dead and the vandalization of countless public institutions including schools, hospitals, and media outlets. 

Last month, following the gas bombing of the state Telecom firm CANTV in Bolivar state, National Assembly president Diosdado Cabello warned of the increasing revival of violent tactics by hardline opposition groups seeking to overthrow the current administration.