This
week saw Leopoldo Lopez, a so-called “revolutionary” and major
figure in Venezuela’s right-wing opposition, released from prison
to house arrest due to “health concerns.” Though celebrated by
foreign media, Lopez has a history of inciting fatally violent
protests.
by
Whitney Webb
Part
4 - Lopez receives support from foreign governments and media
Despite his
violent tactics and mixed popularity in Venezuela, the U.S.
government and international media have rallied behind López. While
imprisoned, his wife, former model and television personality Lilian
Tintori, met with U.S. Senator Marco Rubio and President Donald
Trump. Rubio recently introduced the Venezuela Humanitarian
Assistance and Defense of Democratic Governance Act which, if passed,
would funnel as much as $10 million to the Venezuelan opposition.
After the
meeting, Trump tweeted that López was a political prisoner who
should be freed immediately.
MintPress
has reported on several occasions regarding the U.S.’ efforts to
destabilize, weaken and overthrow the democratically-elected
government of Venezuela. From economic warfare to direct funding of
the opposition and “democracy-promoting” NGOs, the U.S. has made
its hostile position towards the Chavista government well known,
spending over $100 million from just 2002 to 2010 on Venezuelan
opposition efforts. The Obama administration pledged approximately
$20 million over its eight years in the White House.
This became
particularly true after Chávez nationalized the Venezuelan oil
industry in 2007, which kicked several powerful U.S. energy
corporations out of the country (which has the world’s largest oil
reserves) and lost them millions. One of those companies was
ExxonMobil, whose CEO at the time was current Secretary of State Rex
Tillerson. This, not surprisingly, explains Tillerson’s personal
vendetta against the Chavista regime, one that has influenced his
calls for regime change which began just days after Trump took
office.
As María
Páez Victor, a Venezuelan-born sociologist, wrote in 2014: “The
real opposition in Venezuela is the USA, its allies and its agents
who feed the illegal pipeline of dollars that pour into bogus NGOs
and the opposition parties.” Leopoldo López is not only one of
the major beneficiaries of the “real opposition,” he is also its
poster boy.
***
Source,
links:
http://www.mintpressnews.com/the-violent-past-of-venezuelan-opposition-leader-leopoldo-lopez/229679/
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