In a cadena nacional aired today, Maduro said that his government had “defeated” the guarimberos [people who put up barricades], and denounced what he claims to be an “economic war” being waged against the country by the right wing. Maduro said:
We defeated the guarimberos who wanted to destroy Venezuela.
(…)
[The opposition] came up with something really crazy that they called “La Salida” [“The Exit”], but what the actually found was the entrance – the entrance to jail – [for many of them], because they violated the law and [broke] the peace of the Republic and the Constitution. They damaged the country…
(…)
What’s coming up now is gobierno de calle [literally, “street government”, or “grassroots government”], and that will really sting the oligarchy.
As Maduro spoke, protesters set up barricades along the Prados del Este highway in Caracas, in the Santa Fe neighbourhood. The barricades have been up since about 5:45 PM, and were made up of “burning tires, [other] objects, and garbage”.
This was the scene in Santa Fe, Caracas during the cadena. National Guard troops face off against demonstrators:
A barricade blocks the Prados del Este highway:
A car burns in the same area:
The protests in the area forced the temporary suspension of three bus routes. According to the Metro de Caracas [the Caracas transit system], routes 202, 203 and 222 through El Hatillo, La Trinidad and Baruta (respectively) have been cancelled until further notice.
Barricades, Street Protests Constitute “Hostile Attitude”: AG
Attorney General Luisa Ortega Diaz spoke a bit today on the reasons why thousands of Venezuelans have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the protests that have taken place in the country sine February.
Diaz tried to draw a line between asking for the president’s resignation – which she assures is allowed – and doing so through a “hostile attitude”, which according to her is illegal. Diaz said:
… asking for the President’s resignation with people on the street, up on a stage, with incendiary bombs, with weapons, with barricades and barbed wire (…) that’s a hostile attitude, [it is] belligerent, aggressive, [and] it coincides with what is established in the penal code.
Opinion
Through her “hostile attitude” comments, Diaz was painting the entire anti-government movement with a very broad brush, and committed a logical fallacy.
Diaz’s comments are an example of circular reasoning, a logical fallacy where the individual begins their argument with the point they are trying to prove. Diaz listed a number of things she assures are illegal (carrying weapons, incendiary bombs, etc. during a protest), and then implies that this is why people have been arrested during demonstrations. According to her logic, the people who’ve been asking for Maduro’s resignation the lawful way have not been arrested. Therefore, only those who’ve asked for the President’s resignation the illegal way – with a “hostile attitude” – have been arrested.
However, both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have documented cases in which people were arrested for merely being in the vicinity of protests, or on their way to or from demonstrations, regardless of whether or not they were peaceful, or whether or not these people were in any way connected to the protests.
In other words, at least some demonstrators without what Diaz calls a “hostile attitude” have been arrested, which makes her assertion was incorrect.
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