Venezuelan Government Arrests Suspect in Attack on Globovision Television Station

Caracas, August 4,
2009 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez announced on Tuesday that suspect Lina Ron
had been arrested for her presumed participation in a tear gas attack on the
private television channel Globovision, in La Florida, Caracas on Monday.

A small group of people
identified with Lina Ron’s pro-Chavez United for Venezuela Party (UPV) were
filmed firing tear gas into the Globovision offices and clashing with police in
La Florida, before making their getaway on
motorcycles early Monday morning.

The attack occurred a day
after Diosdado Cabello, head of Venezuela’s telecommunications agency
(CONATEL), announced the closure of 34 private radio stations for operating
illegally or violating regulations.

Globovision, a virulently
opposition television channel is loathed by grass-roots Chavez supporters,
particularly for its involvement in the 2002 coup that briefly ousted the
democratically elected Chavez from power. Many groups call for the channel to
be taken off air.

While making clear that the
government is willing revoke Globovision’s broadcasting license due to its continuous
violation of Venezuelan law, Chavez said, “These types of actions do damage to
the socialist revolution, because they are counter-revolutionary.”

The head of state said he
would not tolerate these types of actions by anyone; “Comrade Lina Ron for
example – I have for some time been making calls, including public and
privately many times [for her to moderate her behaviour], comrade Lina Ron is
damaging the revolution.” She is “playing a game that favours the enemy,”
Chavez added.

”There is no alternative and she must receive the full weight of the law, as
well as those who went with her,” he said.

Communication and
Information Minister Blanca Eekhout told Telesur that actions such as these
allow private coup-plotting television stations to portray themselves as
victims, “in order to defend their agenda of aggression against the Bolivarian
government and against the legitimate president, Hugo Chavez.”

It is thought that the
attack may have been a revenge attack for an act of vandalism by opposition
supporters against the La Voz de Turmero 97.7 FM community radio station in Santiago
Mariño municipality in the early hours of Monday morning.

Venezuela’s Interior and Justice Minister, Tareck El
Aissami, said that the Bolivarian Government does not accept violence as a tool
to resolve political differences.

“For that reason, we are
going to act with determination to safeguard the internal order, peace and calm
in the whole national territory,” against any “groups that try to sow fear and
violence in the streets.”