The official propaganda on state media (and even its eunuchs like Venevision) will try to minimize what happened today in Caracas. Don't believe a word: it was a smashing success! Even AFP says so, using the term "hundreds of thousands".
This blogger, even living in Yaracuy, has gone to all the main opposition rallies and marches in Caracas. Pics are scattered all through the blog since 2003. I did miss the main one, the one of April 11 2002. Thus I cannot compare it with today. Some say that April 11 was the biggest one ever. Maybe, but I can assure you that this one was the biggest, brightest, of the ones I ever went.
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| In the far distance Libertador avenue, both decks full |
I did try the live tweet thing, but wireless signal was generally bad. I suppose that too many in the crowds were tweeting, calling, trying to find lost parties (I lost my group early and did most of it on my own until returning to our agreed meeting point, first time ever I lost my group). There were plenty of fun pictures to do, for a change, and you can check out my recent tweets for them @danielduquenal, as I do not like redundancy though the two pictures of this post were tweeted earlier (the one above came from a reader, look at how far the flow of people go!).
At any rate, it was a spectacular event. Never had I so much trouble walking, never was such enthusiasm shown, and for at long last I sensed that yes, we may be able to finally get rid of Chavez, without necessarily spilling bloodshed. After all, if 4 moths before the vote Capriles is able to gather with him that many people.....
If the march was rich in sights, it was also rich in symbolism. For once the regime did not try to sabotage it. Also Capriles went to make his speech in Plaza Caracas, one of the favorite pulpits of Chavez, a place which even 6 months ago no one in the opposition would have dared to organize a rally. As we say in Venezuela, "Capriles le ladró en la cueva", Capriles went to bark inside his cave. Capriles also went inside the CNE for his formal registration freshened up, Venezuelan flag shirt (he did walk 10K under a blazing sun and by chance I saw him run by me, barely a foot away! He was already red and sweaty and still 3/4 of the way to go...). He was received by all the witches of the CNE that simply could not help it, sensing that maybe, just maybe for once they should looks a tad less chavista.
All in all an excellent day for our cause and a terrible one for chavismo which is not even trying to reply tomorrow. The lone stuff we know is that Chavez will come in a closed caravan from Miraflores Palace and that the CNE witches will go outside to receive him, as far from cameras as possible.... The comparison will be terrible, no matter how the state TV tries to hide that Chavez is sick and that his own people are getting sick of him.... Capriles has conquered the street and Chavez is left with cadenas where he sits down all the time and money for vote buying. By October it might not be enough.