These were days of marches.
Huge marches.
That wrapped themselves around the capital, Caracas
And, in particular, the higher-class eastern side of the city.
It was April 2002.
President Hugo Chavez had been elected four years before.
He’d promised a revolution. A Bolivarian revolution—named after South America’s greatest Independence leader, Simon Bolivar.
And Chavez decreed dozens of laws hoping to turn the tides on the concentration of wealth in the country. They would hand large estates over to small farmers and redirect the profit from the state oil company to social services.
But the businesses and the elites did not want Chavez’s revolution.
Venezuela’s Chamber of Commerce, Fedecamaras, led strikes, marches, and protests.
And now, those marching in the streets promised to take down the government.
Some even carried the American flag.
But as they approached the presidential palace toward the west of the city, shots began to ring down upon them.
Snipers sat high on rooftops firing into the crowd.
One person fell. And then another.
18 deaths. Almost 70 injured.
The news cameras captured the chaos. The people cowering.
They filmed people being carried away.
They said the supporters and troops of president Hugo Chavez were firing on unarmed protesters.
This was the message spread on the mainstream TV channels across Venezuela and abroad.
The message that spread like wildfire.
But those carrying out this bloodbath were not the supporters and troops of president Hugo Chavez.
They were members of the metropolitan police. And they were carrying out a coup.
Rebelling officers in the Venezuelan military used the killings as the pretext to detain the president
And accuse him of ordering the massacre.
The leaders of the coup said there was a vacuum of power. They said Chavez had resigned.
Pedro Carmona, the head of Venezuela’s Chamber of Commerce, swore himself in as the de facto president.
Flanked by supporters, Carmona, dissolved the National Assembly, the Supreme Court.
He suspended the attorney general, elected mayors and governors.
Carmona and his allies would rule the government on their own.
His de facto government led a violent witch hunt after Chavez government officials.
Meanwhile, the mainstream press looked away and played cartoon reruns.
But the people were not having it.
Those from Venezuela’s poorest communities had seen their lives improve under the short four years since the election of president Hugo Chavez.
And they had seen their hopes dashed by the unelected leaders of the country’s business class and ruling elites.
So they descended from the hillsides of the poorest communities across Caracas and amassed outside of Miraflores, the presidential palace.
They refused to recognize Pedro Carmona’s de facto government.
They would not leave until Chavez had returned.
And that is what happened…
On April 13, Chavez’s presidential guard expelled Carmona and the coup leaders from the presidential palace. Pressure from both the people and loyal military forces led to the collapse of the coup government. It was unprecedented. The people and the military united together to defend their democratically elected leader.
They rescued president Chavez
Who was flown back to Miraflores and returned to power.
The people would not be silent.
The people had overturned a coup.
###
Hi folks. Im your host Michael Fox.
Today in Venezuela, April 13, is remembered as El Dia de la Dignidad, the Day of Dignity. A day of grassroots resistance.
Some people in Venezuela are still confused about what happened between April 11 and April 13, 2002. The media manipulations was so great that it left a tremendous legacy of confusion.
But there have been in-depth investigations, including the documentaries, The Revolution Will Not be Televised and Llaguno Bridge: Keys to a Massacre. This last film, I actually helped to translate and narrated into English more than 20 years ago. If you are interested in watching or learning more, I’ll add links in the show notes.
This is episode 19 of Stories of Resistance, a new podcast series co-produced by The Real News and Global Exchange. Each week, I bring you stories of resistance and hope like this. Inspiration for dark times.
If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, share, comment, leave a review, or tell a friend. You can support my work and find exclusive pictures and background information on my patreon… patreon.com/mfox.
As always, thanks for listening. See you next time.
On April 13, Chavez’s presidential guard expelled the coup leaders and returned Chavez to power.
Pressure from both the people and loyal military forces led to the collapse of the coup government. The people and the military united together to defend their democratically elected leader.
If you’re interested in more background, you can check out the following documentaries:
The Revolution Will Not be Televised (2003)
Llaguno Bridge: Keys to a Massacre (2004): Host Michael Fox helped to translate and narrate this documentary in English.
In English: https://vimeo.com/40502430
In Spanish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ9jE1c0XPE
This is episode 19 of Stories of Resistance — a new podcast co-produced by The Real News and Global Exchange. Independent investigative journalism, supported by Global Exchange’s Human Rights in Action program. Each week, we’ll bring you stories of resistance like this. Inspiration for dark times.
If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, share, comment, or leave a review. You can also follow Michael’s reporting and support at www.patreon.com/mfox.
Written and produced by Michael Fox.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
