MARÍA LILIBETH DA CORTE
EL UNIVERSAL

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez resurfaced on Tuesday, two days after the end of broadcasts of private television station RCTV and, in a mandatory nationwide radio and TV broadcast, he warned the media, in particular news TV channel Globovisión, "to cool down" because he would not tolerate the media to create national chaos by staging a "show" aimed at "heating" the streets.

"You, brother, up there in the hills on Caracas, in (low-income areas) Petare, Catia, 23 de enero, and even here in (coastal) Vargas state, listen up! If we had to launch another April 13, I will command it myself to defend our revolution from this renewed fascist assault! I am warning the people and the enemies of the motherland -those who are behind the scenes-, and I want to say their full name: Globovisión!" the ruler added. Reference was made to April 13, 2002 -the day when he returned to power following a coup d'etat two days earlier.

Chávez also claimed that following his decision on RCTV, "some destabilizing players joined the game."
   
"Greetings, Globovisión, you will see where you will go," Chávez said during an event where he granted social security pensions to 50,000 housewives.

"You may move forward, and you may continue to call people to disobedience and encouraging my assassination, like you did openly late Sunday (May 27), if you want to. But I am warning you in front of the country, take my advice, take a sedative and cool down. Otherwise, I will take care of Globovisión myself."
 
Chávez also aimed his threat at "any radio station found to be playing to destabilize."

On May 28, the Venezuelan government filed a complaint with the Attorney General Office accusing Globovisión of encouraging Chávez' assassination, as the TV station broadcast a video footage of the murder attempt against Pope John Paul II and played Panamanian singer Rubén Blades' song "Esto no termina aquí" (This does not end here.)

"We will wait and see what the Attorney General Office does," Chávez said.

In Chávez' view "the oligarchy is hurt because the abuses of channel 2 (RCTV) are over," and stressed that the media are "manipulating people's feelings" when they make "a group of young actors cry. They are experts in crying, please. This is a terrible thing. This is usual in fascism."

Further, Chávez accused the media of "encouraging destabilization by launching messages to the National Armed Force, inciting a military upheaval, trying to heat the streets, encouraging violence, and even embellishing violence with distorted reports."

The Venezuelan ruler also referred to the events last May 27 at the headquarters of the National Telecommunications Council (Conatel) -when demonstrators rejecting discontinuation of RCTV operations and police corps clashed. According to Chávez, the Caracas Metropolitan Police and the National Guard only replied to demonstrators when they "shot at them with firearms, bottles and stones."

"The climax of shamelessness is some media reporting that the Metropolitan Police attacked a peaceful demonstration. They are repeating this lie once and again and again."

Chávez said he did care if the media reported that "the lieutenant colonel or the tyrant once again is attacking freedom of expression, Globovisión, these poor innocent people," adding he was ready to die "in order to defend dignity."

He asked the Army Chiefs of Staff, intelligence bodies and his followers "not to disregard the enemy."

Chávez instructed Minister of Telecommunications and IT Jesse Chacón to "monitor the media second by second. No State can accept calls to disregard the laws."

He added that under such circumstances, "the institutions have an obligation to take actions, and I want to tell the people who are behind this conspiracy: 'do not say I did not warn you.'"

Regarding university students' demonstrations to support RCTV, Chávez declared. "Let us believe they are students. I cannot say they are not students, but they are so few they do not represent all of the Venezuelan students."

He warned the protesting students: "Be careful, you are being used as a tool by some people who want you to get killed."

Translated by Maryflor Suárez R.
msuarez@eluniversal.com

Maria Lilibeth Da Corte L.
EL UNIVERSAL