On Saturday

Some of our readers have been wondering why we haven’t said anything about Saturday’s marches in Venezuela and abroad. For the record, here is my brief take: The...

VENEZUELA-OPOSICION PROTESTA

MarchaSome of our readers have been wondering why we haven’t said anything about Saturday’s marches in Venezuela and abroad.

For the record, here is my brief take:

The marches? A galvanizing, resounding success. Obviously, not enough. But they amp up the pressure, and that´s not a bad thing.

Leopoldo? Proved his mettle as a leader by calling for massive protests from his cell, using a dingy video recorded on a mobile phone.

His hunger strike? A huge gamble, one that I dread might not pay off. Still, understandable given the circumstances.

The people criticizing Leopoldo? Cretins. Pseudo-academic wannabes, many of whom see Venezuela as an intellectual oddity instead of what it really is, a human tragedy that touches us all on a personal level, many of whom can’t find it in their hearts to empathize with somebody who has been unjustly imprisoned for more than a year, with no end in sight.

The MUD? Sigh. Emiliana is going to tackle that one in another post. (In fact, that is the reason we haven’t posted on this, Emi wanted to write about it, and she’s … taking her time!)

I don’t know where the MUD goes from here. I don’t know where Leopoldo goes from here. All I know is that the stakes couldn’t be higher.

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