Venezuela fighting 'media war'

The imperialist war on Venezuela is being fought on the battleground of the media, Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said on Monday.

Speaking at a military ceremony in Caracas attended by international solidarity delegates, Mr Villegas said: “Today the war is fundamentally informational, and peace is fundamentally informational.

“The main contest is in the field of communications,” where the mainstream media “have demonised our leaders before the world.”

“Solidarity with Venezuela is solidarity with all the peoples of the world in their struggles,” Mr Villegas said, adding that the anti-imperialist movement was “sending a message to the North.”

He said the opposition had “broken the mould of treachery” by urging US and EU sanctions against their own country.

Brandishing his mobile phone, Mr Villegas said: “We are nostalgic for print newspapers, but in our hands we have a very powerful tool of communication.”

Later Mr Villegas met alternative media journalists and writers to discuss coordinating efforts and sharing material.

After the meeting he told the Morning Star: “The interest of the Venezuelan is for their truth to be told in the most transparent way in every part of the world so nobody can doubt there is a great and systematic manipulation.

He said the mainstream narrative had produced “a single global media train of thought” his country. “Take out the names of the reporters and it's exactly the same.”

“Confronted with this global media cartel the solidarity of the peoples is necessary – not only with Venzuela... because what is rehearsed in Venezuela presages what is going to occur in other parts of the world” – pointing to the media “demonisation” of British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

The mystery of the Guanches

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Ex-pats hail extinction of ‘mammoth’ development

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Venezuelan opposition declares "Zero Hour" for regime change

Venezuela’s opposition declared “Zero Hour” in its putsch against the socialist government on Monday — emboldened by US support. Leaders of the Democratic Unity Roundtable (Mud) coalition gathered for the announcement of their takeover plan a day after their unauthorised referendum seeking a mandate for regime change. National Assembly vice-president and Popular Will (VP) acting leader Freddy Guevara said the Mud-controlled parliament would announce the results of the plebiscite on Tuesday. It asked voters to reject President Nicolas Maduro’s calling of a constitutional reform assembly demand the army support the opposition and back a “national unity government.” But before the announcement of the result Mr Guevara said the national Assembly would form a new government on Tuesday — a move beyond its constitutional powers — along with 1,020 local “Zero Hour committees.” He called a “national general strike” for Thursday while on Friday the assembly would again exceed its powe

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