Venezuelan Student Movement

Speech at the “Oslo Freedom Forum”

Diego Scharifker — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:30:44 +0000

On May 20th, 2009 Student Representative Diego Scharifker participated at an international forum in the city of Oslo, Norway to speak about “Attacks against the Venezuelan Student Movement and Antisemitism in Venezuela” at the Oslo Freedom Forum.

A Short “Why?” of relations between Chavez and Ahmadinejad

Diego Scharifker — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:30:30 +0000

Note on the back: "From Hugui to Ahmady: BFF! ♥"

The title Moses Naim gave to his opinion article published on June 21, 2009 was immensely creative and linked closely with reality. Iran with Venezuelan Eyes is an excellent article because it shows that “Iran and Venezuela could not be more different countries”, this being for reasons of social divisions, religious, organization of the State, etc., but both suffer the same malady: an authoritarian president who tries, through all means possible, to impose his way of thinking. But it is obvious that both suffer the same ailment, is not pure coincidence that Chavez and Ahmadinejad are ‘buddies’ and share a friendship so close. But this friendship did not appear because a cold morning Hugo Caracas woke up and said “I will sort of lonely on this world, lets call the other dictator from the brother Iranian Republic!” and from there on they formed a warm friendship between both leaders, but rather that they need each other to establish their political projects in each countries.

In the Iranian case it’s quite why he needs Venezuela. Since Ahmadinejad took office, the Iranian project to develop nuclear energy (according to them, but in reality to produce nuclear weapons) has increased, but the raw material essential for the success of the entire program is not as readily available as he would like. Since the government of Carlos Andrés Pérez, it has been known that Venezuela has large deposits of uranium, but these were never used because there was no need to replace oil with other means to produce power. By having Chavez as a close friend, Iran would able to smuggle this material into their country and use it to produce enriched uranium. To them we are indispensable, because our President is the only one crazy enough to endanger international peace and the tranquility of his people with a possible war and/or sanctions (military or economic) for a simple strategic alliance.

In contrast, for me it is not as simple to reach a conclusion in how Venezuela could benefit from this type of bargain. What is Ahmadinejad giving Chavez? No doubt the Iranian technological capacity is quite advanced, even allowing them to send a satellite built entirely at home into space, and possibly the Bolivarian Revolution would benefit from importing some of this technology to our country. But I doubt the government really wants to import technology that benefits the population, such as we did with Cuba where we imported the techniques to tap phone calls, but possibly the government could import from Iran the technology to block websites and temporarily disrupt TV signals (both technologies being used now in this country in the Middle East during recent protests).

Apart from this possible transfer in technology, an alliance has to be stretched between countries if they want to tilt the balance away from “The Empire” (USA). As Pres. Bush used to call them, the “Axis of Evil” needs of each other to construct this new paradigm in international politics where the oppressed succeed over the oppressors, but in the meantime there becoming oppressor against their own people.

Thats why they need each other support, and us students worldwide will not allow them to spread there techniques to other countries and infect them…

Protest Against Ahmadinejad in Caracas

Diego Scharifker — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:30:27 +0000

On November 25th 2009, when Ahmadinejad came to Venezuela to visit his best pal Chávez, the Student Movement organized a protest against him due to the political persecution and murder of students in Iran.

Students Against Ahmadinejad

During the protest a group of students from various universities of Caracas went to the Hotel Melia Caracas, where the Dictator was staying, and shouted chants in Spanish such as: “Ahmadinejad, fraud, Muderer of Students” and “Ahmadinejad, your not invited, because you kill, your own people… kick him out kick him out”.

"Student Tortured" "Student Murdered" "Iranian Hunged"

As soon as we arrived to the entrance of the hotel, even though we arrived in a peaceful stance, a group of police that tripled in size the number of students present, started forming a barricade and push us to the oposite side of the street. While shouting chants and protesting peacefully, two police dressed as civilians walked before us and ripped the red canvas from us and then fled behind the police cordon and into the hotel.

VENEZUELA FEELS IRAN’S PAIN AND SUPPORTS THEM IN THEIR FIGHT!

Photographs: Grabriel Bastidas

Police Barricade

New Year, New Challenges

Diego Scharifker — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:36:59 +0000

Even though 2009 was a tough political year for Venezuela, 2010 does not promise to be any easier. During the last trimester of 2009, the National Assembly (Legislative Power) passed the “Act on Education” that was considered by the university community as the greatest blow against universities nationwide during Chavez’ 10 years in power, but its harshest part has not been passed yet. According to members of the National Assembly that sympathize with the President, during the first months of 2010 they are going to pass the “Special Law on Universities” where they will develop many of the ideas mentioned in the “Act on Education”.

For us university students, our fight will be based on not permitting the Students Councils proposed by the government supplant our already existing Student Government structures, due to the fact that they violate University Autonomy and are only proposed because the chavistas have not been successful in increasing their power inside the different student governments inside universities. To illustrate this, on the elections that took place in the Universidad Central de Venezuela the list of candidates from the opposition obtained 12,810 votes while the chavismo only obtained 2,256 votes. Obviously the “Revolution” is facing a slight problem in obtaining their goals. So if we, those who believe in Democracy, have 85% of the votes inside our University, why knell before a totalitarian government trying to impose its own ideals?

And the second challenge, which is extremely important if we wish to limit Chavez’ power, is succeeding in obtaining the majority of the National Assembly the 26th of September. What makes this mostly interesting for students nationwide is that up to now, 9 months before the elections, more than 8 ex members of the Student Movement are going to be candidates in the elections. Between these precandidates are some of the most symbolic leaders of the student movement, Stalin Gonzalez (@stalin_gonzalez), President of the FCU-UCV 2005-2007 , Ricardo Sánchez (@ricardoisanchez), President of the FCU-UCV 2007-2009, and Yon Goicoechea (@YonGoicoechea), student leader from the UCAB. Through all of the young candidates, the Student Movement aspires to displace the old ways of politics and replace it with honesty, reconciliation and prosperity.

Added to these political challenges, Venezuela is still cruising through the toughest stages of an economic recession and the Bolivar has just been evaluated by half, Venezuela es the third country in the world with the highest crime rate and 40% of the population is under the poverty line.

We know we have a path to walk on and that it wont be easy, but with team work and the ideals of freedom and democracy before us, the only option is to succeed.

Hooded chavistas burn a bus infornt of the Student Government of the UCV (5-20-09)

Diego Scharifker — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 23:30:26 +0000

Another act of violence by supporters of the Chavez regime to the Student Movement.

Starting with a great success

Diego Scharifker — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:30:13 +0000

Just yesterday we started with this blog to deliver international news on the Venezuelan Student Movement and its activities, together with a twitter account (@studentsvzla) to quickly transmit any information necessary. Our first step was to difuse the New Years Greeting message written by the President of the FCU of the UCV, Roderick Navarro, directed the Iranian Student Movement. We could have wished for a better response by the internet community! The letter written by him was retweet over 40 times!!!

The best moment yesterday was when we got an answer from United4Iran.com, a website of US based who describe themselves as:

United4Iran is a non-partisan collaborative network of individuals and human rights activists working internationally to build a mass movement by providing a common platform. Our purpose is to promote fundamental human and civil rights in Iran. U4I was formed to help coordinate and amplify the voices of activists, academics, NGOs, artists, and others who desire to work on issues related to human and civil rights in Iran.

Through them is that we where able to get in contact with part of the Iranian twitter community and obtain in just one day 76 followers on our Twitter account.

At that is not all, we even got a featured article in their Blog! Check it out and they even translated the letter into farsi!

I have lived in first hand the real force in the use of internet tools such as Twitter to rapidly and in a simple manner transmit a message through the internet so that the international community can learn about the situation of a country that is under the peril of loosing its freedom and becoming an abused population. To simplify this, we have created the hashtag #studentsve so that anyone can read about us and what is happening here!

This has been the best way to start our activities and let the international community know what is happening here in Venezuela. We appreciate all the support everyone has given and continue wishing for the support of all of you.

This was recently published in a highly transited news site from Iran. Want to check it out?

http://news.gooya.com Report

Letter from the Venezuelan Student Movement to the Iranian Student Movement

Diego Scharifker — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 12:30:17 +0000

Central University of Venezuela,
Caracas, Venezuela,
January 7, 2010

Iranian students:

This New Year will be the year of the young liberators, openers of a new cycle of life in the world for the welfare of all citizens, and the routing of our way of doing politics in our spaces.

It will be the consolidation of a movement that has been characterized by being a faithful servant of the principles of university autonomy and the Constitution of the Republic. It will be the year where we will gather the fruits of the fight we have begun and we will show to those who try to silence the voices of the future, we will continue breaking paradigms due to our way of being, people and their messages, for our actions and footprints left behind.

As the strength, commitment and conviction mark our footsteps, the youth can rest easily because we will have hope in the near future, because the fate of our nations have been irrevocably fixed to hope, for people who love their freedom finally succeed in obtaining it.

Students, who have not been shaken by the violent passions of revenge, corruption and greed, like those now in power, are permitted under all laws of equity and history to raise our voices in the name of the motherland and its people.

We have been and will always be proud of our glorious Universities, which have profound impact over the population and the future of our Countries.

Fellow fighters for freedom! Many greetings and wishes of infinite joy, strength and courage from the distance, from Venezuela, so that in this New Year, this new opportunity, we can return with clear consciences to continue fighting for men and women without ruined accounts with historical justice, to assume the leading role.

“The Rock”

The distracted tripped over it. The violent used it as a projectile. The entrepreneur built with it. The farmer, tired, used it to rest. Drummond poeticized. David slew Goliath. Michelangelo created beautiful sculptures! In all cases the difference was not in stone but in man.

The year 2010 is the same for all, but it depends on what we do with it.

Happy 2010!!

Let’s keep fighting for the dream of freedom and democracy, continue raising our voices fearlessly towards a victory that is coming and not surrender, because in our hands are the destinies of the future of our country!

On behalf of the Venezuelan student movement, best regards from the distance!

Roderick Navarro Durán
President
Federation of University Centers
Universidad Central de Venezuela
Movement “100% Students”

That we know of, the article has been sited int he following websites:

The Venezuelan Student Movement’s Portal to the Outside World

Diego Scharifker — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:30:10 +0000

Venezuela has been living through ten tough years under the government of the President Hugo Chavez Frias. After the events that occured in 2002, the Venezuelan oposition was basicaly silent to all the atrocities the government committed against democracy and freedom in the country. That was until 2007, with the closure of the countries oldest TV station and one of the biggest oponents to the Chavez Regime, RCTV, the Venezuelan Student movement resurged and begun its fight for freedom and democracy.

From that instance on, the Movement has become a beacon inside the Venezuelan society of democracy ad a diferent country in the future.

This blog will be the way the international community can learn about the venezuelan student movement and its actions and activities for democracy in our country.