REAL SOCIALISM: Two Main Opposition Leaders Snatched From Their Homes In Venezuela
On Tuesday, Venezuelan security forces snatched the country’s two most visible opposition leaders, Leopoldo López and Antonio Ledezma, from their own homes where they lived under house arrest for a number of years. Against the backdrop of months-long protests and state-sanctioned violence, the two men remained relatively quiet, waiting for the right moment to reassert themselves in the public eye. But the prospect of reemergence has been nipped in the bud by a state desperate to keep its defiant people in line.
While opposition leaders have long called for peaceful protests against Maduro, the people of Venezuela appear to be at their wits’ end. Clashes with security forces are now daily occurrences. Desperate Venezuelans equipped with signs, posters, and sticks are facing off against a police state sanctioned to use deadly violence to quell popular dissent.
After years of state-mandated price controls, forceful seizure of private property, and overspending, the socialist state has left the once-prosperous country of Venezuela destitute. Basic goods and services are now considered luxuries. Food, water, and medicine are scarce. Faced with the inevitable horrors of starvation, many Venezuelans are choosing open rebellion over a complacent death.
On Tuesday, Venezuelan security forces snatched the country’s two most visible opposition leaders, Leopoldo López and Antonio Ledezma, from their own homes where they lived under house arrest for a number of years. Against the backdrop of months-long protests and state-sanctioned violence, the two men remained relatively quiet, waiting for the right moment to reassert themselves in the public eye. But the prospect of reemergence has been nipped in the bud by a state desperate to keep its defiant people in line.
While opposition leaders have long called for peaceful protests against Maduro, the people of Venezuela appear to be at their wits’ end. Clashes with security forces are now daily occurrences. Desperate Venezuelans equipped with signs, posters, and sticks are facing off against a police state sanctioned to use deadly violence to quell popular dissent.
After years of state-mandated price controls, forceful seizure of private property, and overspending, the socialist state has left the once-prosperous country of Venezuela destitute. Basic goods and services are now considered luxuries. Food, water, and medicine are scarce. Faced with the inevitable horrors of starvation, many Venezuelans are choosing open rebellion over a complacent death.
