After those short but heartbreaking conversations with the people who were at the UCAB riots, I called my best friend. We were planning to go to an “after Halloween” sort of party but I haven’t even thought about my outfit just yet. “Do you really feel like going to a party now?” – Part tired, part disappointed; he read my thoughts and said “No” right away. I still dressed up and he picked me up 30 minutes later but not for a party, but for going to a quiet place to have a drink and a long talk.More sooner than later our conversation focused on the fears we have as we see this situation getting more violent and radical as the days pass by. We discussed a little bit about what happened at UCAB in the afternoon but we were even more worried about the events at UCV just a day before that sadly, made huge headlines across the globe. Shootings at the campus is always a good material for a headline after all.
And my friend is even more concerned after we met that same night, randomly, another friend who goes to UCV and who was cheering “the brave students that burned the Social Work building and finally gave a lesson to those people”. I understand his position, in part. UCV students are tired to go every morning to class and find their campus all messed up with Chavez supporters “works of revolutionary art” annoying from the halls and the walls.
The Social Work school in particular is traditionally a pro Chavez school – one of the few ones, if not the only at UCV- and you just never stop hearing about troubles related with the Social Work students despite if they are real or not.
Actually, a few months ago, I was at a demonstration when some tear gas were dropped and not exactly by the police (counting that only the police and the National Guard are allowed to own and use those instruments of repression, so no clue how random civilians get access to tear gas bombs) and when we were protecting ourselves from the gas, I heard students saying that the responsible ones were probably Social Work students since the bombs seemed to have fallen from the Social Work school building… So when I saw the latest events on TV (the ones that guy was cheering) and a cousin (that also goes to UCV) told me that it all happened at the Social Work school building, I wasn’t surprised at all.
-“But before putting all the responsibility on the Social Work students and their friends” – My best friend argued – “We must put on question the radicalism on both sides”-
Combining all versions plus the press you could tell the events this way: the students from the White Hand movement were coming back from a march when they met some Chavez supporters putting some propaganda at the campus walls. From that point it all got confusing and it ended with the horrible scene of shooters in the campus –none related to the White Hand movement that’s for sure – and some radical students from the movement trying to burn the Social Work building with people inside (not all of them were shooters) for defense (or revenge? Maybe?).
“So when you see from one side people shooting at others and the others wanting to burn people alive in response, you know you are in the presence of ….” – “… A war”- I completed his sentence – “Indeed” – He kept with his argument – “And these guys, who were answering to the Chavez supporters attacks, who wanted to burn the building with people inside were not some crazy guys … they were… people like us… like the friend we just met” - After he said that, we just shut up for a few minutes lost on each other thoughts.
I never understood the meaning of peace as strong as I did those few minutes, since the possibility of seeing the best people doing the worse things due to a radical situation, popped in my head as a real scene just dancing around the corner – “Let just hope the student (White Hand) movement can win over the radicals”- He said, breaking the silence.
It doesn’t matter if it happens at UCV or UCAB, if it’s about shooting or stones or tear gas bombs. It doesn’t matter if the students who claim to have a practical mind or the adults that were once radical student activist says otherwise. The consequences of those request of “ending everything” with a violent act are so overwhelming that I had no other choice, but join my best friend desires by him back: “I hope so too…”
About the picture: Taken about a week ago (Nov, 15th) at UCAB. It shows some students waiting at the campus entrance for a Chavez supporters demonstration that it was planned to arrive to my university (I will tell those events in another entry). The thing is that for me, it is quite relevant who are the students who are part of the first line of any demonstration because they are the key element to start or to stop radicalism. I wasn't at the UCV when the riots happen and I want to put original pictures taken by me or my friends in this blog as much as possible.