trailblazers, some taken out.....

Caracas, paralyzed. A hiccup shook the sides of the cerros that the ranchitos are climbing. Hills, more hills. Then the whole country. The sovereign people. From the posh apartment buildings of the poshest neighborhoods to the humble hovels of the humblest pueblos.

BY Maurice LEMOINE

March 5, 2013
Murió.
He is dead, gone forever.
El commander...
Chávez Hugo Rafel Chávez Frías, President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
Murio el comandante, coño !
58 years old.

We knew he was very ill. We knew it. Since that disastrous June 30, 2011. The day he announced that he was suffering from cancer. We didn't want to believe it. Two Our Fathers in Heaven, three Hail Marys, an invocation to Bolivar and José Martí, he would get away with it. As usual. With his big laugh of half-caste with almond eyes and frizzy hair. A mixture of Black, White and Indian. The perfect prototype of the llanero – the man of the immense plains of tall and abundant grass where the rivers meander.

An aggressive tumor in the pelvic region – or something like that.

Two surgeries in Havana. The first led by a Venezuelan doctor, the second by a Russian. Well, that's what we believe. There was a lot of mystery. And rumors. This one causing those. And vice versa. But the appearance did not deceive. This famous June 30, 2011, we discovered him with hollow cheeks, emaciated, tired. Chemotherapy made him unrecognizable. Inflated, puffy, swollen, dilated. Without hair. Only his dark brown eyes remained, sparkling with mischief and will. In desperation sometimes, at the thought of having to interrupt his task. The transformation of Venezuela. And that terrible Holy Thursday in April 2012, after his third operation, when he begged: "Give me your crown, Christ, give it to me, that I bleed, give me your cross, give me a hundred crosses , but give me life!"

It's like crossing a torrent: you don't know if you'll be able to move forward, but you can't go back. We get out of it as we can. Against all odds, at that moment, he tore himself away, he got away with it.

He led his last election campaign with guts, heart, tenacity. An energy of the catacombs. He jumped, he sang, he danced. We heard him say: “I am not Chávez, I am a whole people! This seed he was sowing. Unsinkable, on October 4, in Caracas, he spoke under a downpour. We had never seen such a deluge. As the rain enveloped them in swirls and gusts, the hundreds of thousands of red-clad fans cheered, “Uh! Ah! Chávez no se va!" .... Ooh! Ah! Chávez is not leaving! A Bolivarian avalanche. And on October 13, 2012, he won. Once again. Yes. One more time. for a further six-year term.

October 4, 2012, last speech by Hugo Chávez.

Barely celebrated the victory, prolonged shivers seized him. A violent pain. That damn thing was catching up with him. Lucid, he hinted that … While his people held their breath, he even mentioned who should be elected in case of misfortune. The current vice-president, Nicolás Maduro. Then he took the plane back to Havana, after a final wave of the hand. Passed through the operating room. After seventy-two days of convalescence on the island, returned home on February 18. In the early morning, his personal Tweeter account @chavezcandanga crackled: “We have arrived again in our Venezuelan homeland. Thanks my God !! Thank you my beloved people!! We will continue the treatment here. His more than 4 million followers screamed in relief. “Volvio, volvio, volvio!" – "He came back, he came back!"

Like April 13, 2002. Two days earlier, on the 11th, putschists had kidnapped him. Rebellion. Pedro Carmona (the boss of bosses), George W. Bush (the boss of the boss of bosses), the opposition media (subject to all bosses).

Supported by the insurrection of the people, liberated by the loyal military, Chávez had returned.

But the day after February 18, 2013, total silence. No news. Just a few gossips from the government. Until Tuesday, March 5...

It's raining. Livid, stunned, with a distant gaze, Vice President Maduro delivers the harshest and most tragic news he can announce to the Venezuelan people: "At 4:25 in the afternoon, Commander-President Hugo Chávez died after having fought, for nearly two years, a hard battle against the disease, surrounded by the love of his people and his family, and the most absolute loyalty of his comrades in the fight".

Announcement of the death of Hugo Chávez by Vice President Nicolás Maduro

As information circulates, the windows, balconies, roofs, trees of popular neighborhoods are covered with portraits. National mourning, from March 5 to 11. From the 5th, there are hundreds of thousands to spontaneously take to the streets, to clump together, to wander. Many wear the red shirt. They park, here sitting on the sidewalk, there standing or leaning against the walls, dejected and preoccupied.

The next day, from all points of Caracas, the compact crowd heads towards the route that the body will take, for a final farewell. Some spent the night there. The yellow ball of the sun woke them up. The metro is free. At the La Bandera terminal, a long chain of coaches arriving from the interior dumps a human cargo that the night journey has exhausted. “Even if I had to come on foot, or by rowing, or by crawling, I would have come”, repeats again and again a little peasant girl in her fifties. “Hugo Chávez, Christ of the poor, do not abandon us,” she adds, crossing herself.

At the stroke of noon, we perceive a cascade of metallic squeaks. Small businesses lower their iron shutters. Escorted by the red berets of the Honor Guard, the coffin leaves the Military Hospital – the last battlefield of the “comandante”. San Martín Avenue, O´Leary and Miranda Squares, Lecuna Avenues, Fuerzas Armadas, Roca Tarpeya, Nueva Granada, La Bandera, Los Próceres... Up to the Military Academy of Fort Tiuna there are eight kilometers. Amid sobs, cries, cheers, prayers, flags and bouquets of flowers, under a blazing sun, the gigantic march lasted more than seven hours. The procession marches between two files of mourners.

Infinite sadness. Here and there, however, hands rise to clap one another. At the top of their lungs rise the songs of another fallen warrior, the singer of the people Alí Primera. In hearts, the dead still live. “Uh! Ah! Chávez no se va!"

Caracas, March 6, 2013 - Photo Feliciano Sequera / Prensa Presidencial

Early evening. The coffin now stands in the chapel set up for the occasion. Protected by glass, the face of the deceased seems very serene. We dressed him in an olive green suit and his red beret. His famous red beret of a former soldier. Former putschist, say those who do not like him. Around are crowded the family, members of the government, representatives of the other powers in full force. Arrived in the morning, Cristina Kirchner, José Mujica and Evo Morales are already there (friendly Heads of State – Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia). While a platoon renders military honours, we see generals crying. Nicolás Maduro sports a blue-yellow-red sports jacket. The one that Chávez often wore. In the colors of the Venezuelan flag.

Yeah, so what?

Publicly silent, but euphoric as soon as they cross paths, opponents, from the ultra-right to ex-social democrats, prepare to swallow hectoliters of beer, whiskey and rum to celebrate the event. The departure of “Hugo Boss”, “Micomandante-presidente” [1], “the sidereal hyper-leader”, the “caudillo-commander-hero-libertador-eternal candidate for re-election”. He represented a disastrous stage in their existence, nothing more. It's finish. It's from the past. The good old days will return. Patience. Once the emotion has passed.

Wiser, Henrique Capriles Radonski avoids getting carried away. These kinds of excessive feelings make it hard to think. During the last presidential election, Chávez beat him sharply. The next deadline is looming, probably against Maduro. For now, the key word is “moderation”. Capriles offers his condolences to the family, relatives and supporters: “We were adversaries, never enemies." Nicely said, very delicate. But, at least it's decent.

March 7. At half past two in the morning, the cold seizes you. Indistinct and blurred silhouettes, shadows beat the sole, others blow in their hands to warm themselves. As dawn breaks, and then the sun rises and warms the lazy air, thousands of Chavistas make their way to the hall of the Military Academy. Dozens of thousands. Hundreds of thousands. They come from working-class neighborhoods – Petare, 23 de Enero, Catia, la Vega, el Cerro Carapita... They don't care how long they have to wait for a last tribute. Little does it matter to them that others arrive again, and again, and again, from La Bandera, Los Símbolos, El Valle stations. Free, the metro struggles to transport this tide. The huge line that sweats stretches over more than four kilometers. “I am the people,” Chávez had proclaimed. "We are Chávez", responds the people, in this terrible moment. Before meditating – five seconds each, a military salute or a kiss, a raised fist or the sign of the cross – in front of the flag-covered coffin. Under a huge golden crucifix.

This March 8, it is not yet noon. Outside, endless human files still meander. Reds from rouge – “rojos rojitos”. In the "El Libertador General en Jefe Simón Bolívar" room of the Military Academy, thirty-two heads of state and government crowded. Representatives of fifty-five delegations. The small soldiers of the media expeditionary force cannot hold back a hiccup. In the illustrious assembly dressed in black, they spotted the Cuban Raúl Castro, the Iranian Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Belarusian Alexandre Lukashenko. Tomorrow, they will do tons with these three. Didn't Cuba declare two days of national mourning? Chávez, the friend of dictators and autocrats. They could also note the presence of other personalities not totally devoid of interest. And in no way sulphurous, if we adopt their point of view! Sebastián Piñera, Enrique Peña Nieto, Juan Manuel Santos, Otto Perez, Ollanta Humala, Ricardo Martinelli, Michel Martelly – representatives of the continental rights (Chile, Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, Peru, Panama, Haiti). Porfirio Lobo – heir to power thanks to the coup that overthrew reformist Manuel Zelaya in Honduras. Former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien... Well, what's the point? The noble consciences of the info do not censor, they select. Chávez's funeral? Castro, Ahmadinejad, Lukashenko. But, I say, they don't lie. Let's say: just a little, by omission.

Because Maduro also wished "welcome" to the envoys of US President Barack Obama. A second-tier delegation. He even took the liberty of pointing out to them that Venezuela wants a world of cooperation. "Without empires", he specified. The Europeans do not shine much more by their presence. With the exception of Spain, which, Ibero-American world obliges, dispatched the heir to the Crown, Felipe, Prince of Asturias. France ? Of a crass nullity, France sent her overseas minister, Victorin Lurel. Not necessarily a bad guy, but overseas forgive us: no one knows him. Jean-Marc Ayrault (Prime Minister) and Laurent Fabius (sinister Foreign Affairs) were very busy. Above all: they do not like Venezuela. And even less Chávez. A “socialist”! The kind of guy who saw a knife between his teeth. Who “threatens democracy”.

There would be François Hollande, but he is saving for the funeral of King Abdallah of Saudi Arabia, the third richest crowned head in the world, which will take place in January 2015. An exemplary sovereign, who, in terms of human rights : 26 or 27 executions in 2010, 82 in 2011, 76 in 2012, 79 in 2013, 90 in 2014 and at least 153 in 2015 for homicide, witchcraft, adultery, homosexuality, drug use or renunciation of Islam.

Pain, sadness, worry. Indifferent to the absence of the “upscale” capitalists and the “discontinued” social democrats, the entire Latina left stands together and vibrates in unison. Rafael Correa, arrived from Ecuador; Daniel Ortaga, from Nicaragua; Mauricio Funes, from little Salvador; José “Pepe” Mujica and his wife Lucia Topolansky, from Uruguay... Lula accompanies them – the former head of state of immense Brazil. Last night, wrapped in his dark suit, Raúl Castro greeted Chávez's eldest daughter, Rosa Virginia, as well as her mother Elena Frias, who received him in tears. Attending the scene, Ahmadinejad was so upset that he spontaneously kissed mother, attracting fierce anger and criticism from the Iranian press and the mullahs. How could he touch a woman, who is moreover not veiled?

Also present yesterday, the Argentinian and Brazilian presidents Cristina Kirchner and Dilma Roussef, as well as Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, have already left. Taken by their respective agendas. Official release. In reality, Cristina does not want to cross paths with Ahmadinejad, at the risk of triggering a volley of negative comments from her national media. Buenos Aires and Tehran have complicated relations. Rightly or wrongly, the Argentine courts accuse Iran of being involved in the bomb attack against the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) which, on July 18, 1994, caused eighty-five deaths in Buenos Aires. For his part, Lula would have stayed, but it would have been to highlight the departure of Dilma.

The reading of the names of the foreign presidents marks the start of the ceremony. A round of applause accompanies each of the quotes in the litany. The one that honors Ahmadinejad goes far beyond the one that barely politely greets Prince Felipe. Many remember the rude “y porque no te callas?” (“and why don't you shut up?”) from King Juan Carlos to Chávez, on November 10, 2007, during the Ibero-American Summit in Santiago de Chile. Chávez recalled the role of José María Aznar in the coup organized in April 2002 to overthrow him. His Majesty did not like it. “Y porque no te callas? Chávez snapped at him: “Mr. King, I'll tell you one thing: we've been here for five hundred years and we'll never be silent. Especially not at the behest of a monarch. The king is as much head of state as I am. But I was elected three times."

In short, the Iranian is much more applauded than the Spaniard. The special envoys block their ears and noses.

Drum rolls. The Simón Bolivar Symphony Orchestra performs the national anthem. Maduro places a replica of the Libertador's golden sword on the coffin. The tutelary figure of the “Bolivarian revolution”. The weapon will be given to the family of the deceased at the end of the ceremony. Many seem on the verge of bursting into tears. Bolivian head of state Evo Morales looks devastated.

Nicolás Maduro places the sword of the Liberator on the coffin of Hugo Chávez

The way Maduro's voice resonates, we can guess he's sounded. Stunned. But determined. Chávez named him as his runner-up. "There has not been, in the history of our country, a leader more insulted, more vilified and more vilely attacked than our commander-president, he notes, with a kind of rage in his voice. Never, in two hundred years, has so much been lied to about a man. Anger can be a very useful tool. He develops his harangue with an ease that we did not know him. The opposition is conspicuous by its absence. Contemptuous pout around the words, she has just announced that she will also boycott the ceremony of his inauguration as interim president, before the next election takes place. Nothing is more motivating than adversity. He is talking to her, Maduro. To the opposition. Despite the tears running down his cheeks, he publicly swears his "loyalty beyond death" to the deceased: "There he is, undefeated, pure, transparent, unique, authentic, alive forever, until the end of the time. Commanding officer ! They couldn't do anything against you! They can't do anything against us, ever! The struggle continues ! Long live Chávez! Long live Chávez! Until victory always, Comandante!"

Dignitaries, Venezuelan soldiers, foreign leaders cheer the end of the speech. The emotion weighs, at the limit of the bearable. Even the most hardened have misty eyes. Then the Heads of State and Government are invited in small groups to form successive guards of honor around the catafalque. The closest allies, Raúl Castro, Evo Morale, Rafael Correa run first. Later, Lukashenko and Ahmadinejad, the cursed duo. Ahmadinejad seems to be holding back tears. He recites a prayer between his teeth.

In front of the gates of the Academy, under the sweltering heat, hundreds of thousands of Chavistas follow the ceremony on screens. Channeled by metal barriers and soldiers, they wait to be able to resume their procession towards the remains of the “comandante”. Clenching their fists, they alternate "they won't come back!" » and « Chávez lives, the struggle continues! »

On the spot or on television, they heard Maduro promise to continue Chávez's fight "for the poor, education and a fairer world". They also sighed in relief. Many despaired. While more than two million Venezuelans had already paid tribute to their leader, tens of thousands were still waiting their turn. Their wishes are granted. Given the crowds, the body of the "comandante" will remain visible for at least seven more days in the large living room of the Military Academy.

Groups spend the whole night on the huge esplanade adjoining the building. They sleep on boxes, on newspapers. From dawn, sometimes singing revolutionary songs, endless processions are formed again.

The disappearance of Chávez constitutes a political event of the greatest importance. His counterparts are well aware of this. Latin Americans first and foremost. No one is satisfied with compassionate platitudes. And less than the others, the allies of the "Continental Progressive and Revolutionary International", as Bolivian Vice President Álvaro García Linera defined it. Or the “pink tide” – pink tide – in the American version. Together, hand in hand, they transformed the region over the previous fifteen years. Under their respective mandates, 56 million people were lifted out of poverty. To whoever wants to listen, the Ecuadorian Correa confides: “Without him, without Chávez, none of us would be here. We owe him everything."

Argentinian President, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner has not forgotten anything about the terrible crisis which, in 2001, martyred her country: “Chávez is the best friend that Argentina had when no one was reaching out to us. (...) Men like him never die. He lives and he will live in every Venezuelan man and Venezuelan, who have ceased to be invisible and have become protagonists [of their history]. This man opened their minds. Nobody can close it to them, ever. Before leaving [to Argentina], I approached and, without looking at him, I touched the flag on the coffin. (...) Didn't I tell you: Chávez is alive. For all time."

First indigenous president of Latin America, Evo Morales does not hide his emotion either: "We are hurt by the death of brother, companion Hugo Chávez, my brother in solidarity, my revolutionary companion, Latin American who fought for the Great Fatherland as Simón Bolívar did by giving his life for the liberation of the Venezuelan people. (...) Chávez will remain present in all regions of the world, among all social movements, to accompany these great processes of change, of building equality, after so many years of submission and plunder."

The immensely popular ex-head of state of Brazil, Luiz Inácio "Lula" da Silva nods: "I am proud to have known him and to have worked with him for the integration of Latin America and for a fairer world (...) Compañero Chávez: if you didn't exist, you should be born again because the world needs leaders like you!"

Less close to the deceased, Dilma Rousseff, who succeeded "Lula" at the Planalto Palace, nevertheless adds: "The Brazilian government was not always entirely in agreement with President Chávez (...) but [this one ] will leave a void in the heart of history and in the struggles of Latin America. I regret it as president and as a person who had a great tenderness for him."

Raúl Castro, speaks of course on behalf of his brother Fidel and the rebel island, Cuba: "President Chávez left undefeated, left invincible, left victorious and no one can take that away from him. is etched in history, in the history of his country, of our country, of the Caribbean, of all of Latin America and of many other parts of the world. Historic Sandinista back in power in Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega adds: “We feel more committed than ever, we are one family, the Venezuelan family, the Nicaraguan family, the Latin American family, the family of planet earth, we are one family, and Comandante Chávez inspired this family in matters of solidarity, in matters of love, in matters of peace; from today, he will accompany us in these struggles that we will continue to wage."

Another friend, the former "bishop of the poor" Fernando Lugo, overthrown by a coup d'etat on June 22, 2012 in Paraguay, gave his homily: "Hugo Chávez belongs to the heritage of Latin America and Caribbean. Despite his absence, the Bolivarian Revolution is in good hands, because it is in the hands of the Venezuelan people who, today, guarantee the changes in this Homeland. If Mauricio Funes, the president of El Salvador, avoids any internationalist dithyramb - "The death of the man who was one of the strongest and most popular Latin American leaders will undoubtedly produce a political vacuum, but, above all, in the hearts of Venezuelans" -, its vice-president, Salvador Sánchez Cerén, former guerrilla of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), who will succeed him in 2014, is more concerned: "Chávez is in the hearts of peoples of his country, of Latin America and the Caribbean. Venezuela today has a great responsibility, because it is the beacon that illuminates Latin America and the world. There is no turning back for Venezuela; the way forward is to deepen the great revolutionary transformations initiated by Chávez."

Selfish tendencies and interest. These are often the main motives of political action. Not for Chávez. It has helped small, vulnerable countries a lot. These Caribbeans left on the sand of their islands, with empty plates and jugs full of water. Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, member of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), founded in 2004 by Chávez and Fidel Castro, Winston Baldwin confides: "Chávez's contribution to the development of Antigua- et-Barbuda and the Caribbean in general will never be forgotten. The Caribbean owes a debt of gratitude to Venezuela for sharing with them a son of the land, whose imposing physical presence was matched only by exceptional intelligence and compassion. Same story with Roosevelt Skerrit, his counterpart in Dominica (also a member of ALBA): “I decree national mourning in Dominica. With Chávez we have lost a great colleague, a father, a brother and a friend. Another islander, Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (ALBA): "He is the Titan of Latin America and the Caribbean, a beacon, a shining light that has illuminated us in our search for justice, peace, democracy and the upliftment of humanity, especially that of the poor, disadvantaged and marginalized. Without him, there would not have been Petrocaribe, nor ALBA, nor Celac [Community of Latin American and Caribbean States], nor, in all areas, bilateral programs."

"President Chávez was a great friend of Haiti," said President Michel Martelly. More than a friend, he was a brother to us. It is with great respect that I bow before the mortal remains of this great man. He never missed an opportunity to express his solidarity in favor of the Haitian people, in their most delicate situations. Through the Petrocaribe program, various sustainable development projects have started, hundreds of projects are being implemented thanks to Venezuelan cooperation. »

It was for getting closer to the "Bolivarian" that Manuel Zelaya, in 2009, was overthrown by a coup. He too has not forgotten anything: “Chávez was like a brother who extended his hand to Honduras, among others through ALBA, in terms of food, agrarian reform, energy and solidarity. Very few times in the history of this country have we seen someone as selfless and generous as the Venezuelan leader. »

Chávez's influence on the continent? Oil, a large checkbook and the constitution of a clientele of obligated. We will say here what we think of this analysis in polite terms: terribly reductive. Even his political adversaries take their hats off to him. Very right-wing head of state of Chile, Sebastián Piñera admits: “I had the honor of working with President Chávez to create the first community that brings together all the states of Latin America and the Caribbean [the Celac]. and through which he showed a real commitment to Latin American integration. In Washington, the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, evokes, beyond the outbursts and the quarrels which opposed them, "the hurricane, the phenomenon of nature which everyone remembers when they saw him pass". “We especially remember his controversies, he regrets, but less of the enormous effort he made, especially at the end of his life, for the unity of his region."

A member of the backward Honduran oligarchy that overthrew Zelaya, Porfirio Lobo even admits: “President Chávez was an extraordinary leader, who fought for the union of Latin American peoples (...) With his death, the Latin America loses a good example and a man who fought for social inclusion; the Venezuelan people have never known one like the one they enjoy today and this is an irreversible process."

Opponent? Worse. On occasion, mortal enemies. Spikes of sulfur-scented hostility have regularly rocked relations between Venezuela and its neighbor, Colombia. Between Chávez and the far-right Álvaro Uribe or his Minister of Defense Juan Manuel Santos. With the latter's election in 2010, tensions subsided. And it is he who declares: “The obsession that united us, and which was the basis of our relationship, was the peace of Colombia and the region. If we have made progress in a solid peace process, with clear and concrete progress, progress like never before with the FARC [Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia] guerrillas, it is also thanks to the dedication and the boundless commitment of President Chávez and the Venezuelan government. (...) He said that is what Bolivar wanted, and he was right."

If we had to sum up, we would leave the final word to the popular Uruguayan President José "Pepe" Mujica: "We always regret death, but when it comes to a frontline activist, someone I once defined as “the most generous ruler I have ever known”, pain has another dimension. (...) What will remain alive is the cause of Chávez. The essential. A work of integration. And we will continue to follow this path, with its contradictions, its marches and counter-marches. But there will be no personality, in the short term, to play the symbolic role [of Chávez] because, when a very large tree falls, it leaves a gigantic void. There are men who symbolize causes. For now, the cause remains and we have lost the symbol. (...) But the accumulated capital, overflowing with wealth, will make it possible to overcome this moment."

At the mention of a giant, the dwarves enrage. Some media dwarfs, to be more precise. Who do not like to report on the news. Who prefer to make it. This is called spreading “fake news”. This is how, in the former news daily Le Monde, on March 7, 2013, Paulo Paranagua, a reformed leftist and recycled into a "journalist", continues the hateful campaign he has been waging for years against Venezuela. : "Despite the speeches on the unity of Latin America, chavismo has harmed regional integration (...)" After the preceding statements, and which any "observer" worthy of the name must have heard , you have to dare. But some dare everything. As the other says, that's how we recognize them.

From the written press to the audiovisual, there is only one step. From his death on March 5 to the day of his funeral on March 8, hundreds and hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans marched through Caracas and in front of his remains to pay tribute to the commander. “To collect myself twenty seconds in front of his coffin, testified Nelly Rivas, a chavista belonging to the middle class, I waited nine hours in line. Others waited two days. This morning, my brothers went there and had to turn back: everything was paralyzed by endless queues of people who, with all the patience in the world, were prepared to wait as long as it would take to say their final farewells. In Paris, on March 8, the day of the funeral, questioned in the studios of BFM TV by the presenter of the newspaper, surprised by these lines of up to three kilometers, for a caudillo attacked relentlessly by all the media and presented as a "dictator", the "best specialist in Venezuela" (according to his editor), the "journalist" François-Xavier Freland, gives an answer that will go down in history: "Oh, you know, in this crowd, there are a lot of curious people... "

In his direct style, Rafael Correa, initiator in Ecuador of the "citizen revolution", had, a few days earlier, settled his fate for this category of false witnesses: "The fact that such a united visionary can be transformed into a criminal gives a idea of media dictatorship in the West. We must continue to fight for this Latin America in full liberation. History will give its true place, its true dimension to Hugo Chávez."

Text taken from

Maurice Lemoine,

Venezuela. Chronicle of destabilization,

The cherry season,

Montreuil, 2019.

Hugo Chávez, April 2002.

[1] Word play with “mico” (monkey) and “mi comandante” (my commander)

https://www.legrandsoir.info/il-y-a-dix-ans-mourait-hugo-chavez.html

TRANSLATION BY JULES LETAMBOUR

MEANWHILE:

WE MUST REMEMBER THAT THE AMERICANS HAD TAKEN GADDAFI OUT IN 2011....

Obama hails death of Muammar Gaddafi as foreign policy success President warns other Middle Eastern dictators, particularly Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, that they could be next

President Barack Obama hailed the lifting of the "dark tyranny" over Libya after the new government confirmed Muammar Gaddafi had been killed, issuing a warning to other dictators in the Middle East – and particularly Syria – that they could be next.

Although Obama did not name Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, it was he Obama had in mind when he said the rule of the iron fist in the Middle East is inevitably coming to an end. Those leaders that try to deny the push for democracy will not succeed, he predicted.

Obama was speaking in the White House Rose Garden after footage was shown worldwide of what appeared to be Gaddafi's bloody corpse. "One of the world's longest-serving dictators is no more," the president said.

The Libyans had won their revolution and "the dark shadow of tyranny has been lifted," Obama said.

Given the number of false claims in recent weeks that Gaddafi had been killed or captured, Obama was careful not to say categorically that he was dead.

Instead, he confined himself to a carefully chosen formula: "We can definitively say the Gaddafi regime has come to an end."

He promised US help for Libya in establishing an interim government and in the holding of fair and free elections, but anticipated "difficult days ahead".

The death of Gaddafi immediately raised speculation in the US that the same military model – the use of US air power combined with rebel forces on the ground and special forces from Europe – could be used again in Syria.

Vice-president Joe Biden described the military model as a "prescription" for the future, while White House spokesman Jay Carney, when asked about Syria, said Assad had lost his legitimacy to rule.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/oct/20/obama-hails-death-gaddafi

---------------

The Security Council [IF I REMEMBER WELL RUSSIA AND CHINA ABSTAINED] today effectively authorized the use of force in Libya to protect civilians from attack, specifically in the eastern city of Benghazi, which Colonel Muammar Al-Qadhafi has reportedly said he will storm tonight to end a revolt against his regime.

Acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which provides for the use of force if needed, the Council adopted a resolution by 10 votes to zero, with five abstentions, authorizing Member States “to take all necessary measures… to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack in the Libyan Arab Jamhariya, including Benghazi, while excluding an occupation force.”

The abstentions included China and Russia, which have the power of veto, as well as Brazil, Germany and India.

Expressing grave concern at the deteriorating situation, the escalation of violence, and the heavy civilian casualties, the Council established a no-fly zone, banning all flights – except those for humanitarian purposes – in Libyan airspace in order to help protect civilians. It specifically calls on Arab League states to cooperate with other Member States in taking the necessary measures.

The Arab League last weekend requested the Council to impose a no-fly zone after Mr. Qadhafi was reported to have used warplanes, warships, tanks and artillery to seize back cities taken over in what started out a month ago as mass protests by peaceful civilians seeking an end to his 41-year rule.

The resolution further strengthens an arms embargo that the Council imposed last month when it unanimously approved sanctions against the Libyan authorities, freezing the assets of its leaders and referring the ongoing violent repression of civilian demonstrators to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The Council called on Member States today to ensure strict implementation of the embargo, including through inspection of suspect ships on the high seas and of planes going to or from Libya, deplored the flow of mercenaries into Libya whom, according to media reports, Mr. Qadhafi has recruited.

Demanding an immediate ceasefire and a complete end to violence and all attacks against and abuse of civilians, and condemning the “gross and systematic violation of human rights, including arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances and summary executions,” the Council noted that the attacks currently taking place may amount to crimes against humanity.

ALL THESE WORDS WERE LIES AS THE AMERICAN LEADER, BARACK OBAMA, WOULD HAVE KNOWN...

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trailblazers, some taken out.....

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