Bolivarian Circles
| Bolivarian Circles | |
|---|---|
| Círculos bolivarianos | |
| Foundation | 21 December 2001 |
| Dissolved | 10 April 2006(domestic circles) |
| Headquarters | Miraflores Palace,Caracas, Venezuela[1] |
| Size | 2.2 million (2003)[2] |
TheBolivarian Circles(Spanish:Círculos bolivarianos) are political and social organizations ofworkers' councilsinVenezuela,originally created by PresidentHugo Chávezon 21 December 2001.[3]The circles have also been described asmilitiasand compared to Cuba'sCommittees for the Defense of the Revolution[4][5][6]and Panama'sDignity Battalions.[7]
Following the involvement of Bolivarian Circles in defending President Chávez during the2002 Venezuelan coup d'état attempt,the government sponsored the creation of officialcommunal councilson 10 April 2006,[8]some of which became armedcolectivosinstead.[9]
Background
[edit]In April 2001, President Hugo Chávez tasked then-Vice PresidentDiosdado CabelloandMiguel Rodríguez Torresto create and finance community organizations that would share local interests to Chávez so his government could lend resources and gain political support.[2][6][10]Such support from the government made Chávez's opponents skeptical of any claims ofautonomy.[6]They are named in honor ofSimón Bolívar,the leader who transformed most of South America from Spanishcolonialoutposts to the independent states now in place.[11]
The circles were created as state-sanctioned groups that were to be the "principle organizing unit of popular power" and were announced by Chávez as "a great human network" that was created to defend the Bolivarian Revolution.[5]Some circles were modeled after theDignity Battalionsthat were created byOmar TorrijosandManuel Noriegain Panama since Chávez admired the model when stationed there during his military career.[7]The founding documents of Venezuela's Bolivarian Circles state that "the Supreme leader of Bolivarian Circles will be thePresident of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela"and that" the national and international headquarters for the registration of Bolivarian Circles will be thePalace of Miraflores".[1]
Some Bolivarian Circles were given combat training and weapons, with some of their leaders being trained in Cuba.[7]According toLina Ron,a Chávez supporter and head of her own Bolivarian Circle, La Piedrita,[10][12]thousands of circles deeply loyal to Chávez were "armed to the teeth".[4]Chávez denied allegations of funding and the circles use of weapons.[4]
History
[edit]In January 2002, Bolivarian Circles were reported to have blocked the entrance of the newspaper officeEl Nacionalfor over an hour. Numerous journalists have been threatened, berated, and abused physically and verbally, particularly by people that identified with the Bolivarian Circles.[citation needed]
Bolivarian Circles also took part in demonstrations that became violent against the2002 coup attempt.[11]Shortly after the coup attempt in a May 2002 cable from the US Embassy in Caracas, there were concerned reports of members of Bolivarian Circles receiving new motorcycles,Nikebrand clothing and that members of the Bolivarian Circles became armed, causing panic in neighborhoods.[13]Numbers of Bolivarian Circles also increased significantly that month according to Diosdado Cabello, with number rising from 80,000 to 130,000.[14]
2007 protests
[edit]On 7 November 2007, masked gunmen riding motorcycles opened fire on students returning from a march in Caracas. At theCentral University of Venezuela,eight people were injured, including one by gunfire.[15][16]
Colectivos
[edit]According toprivate intelligence agencycompanyStratfor,Bolivarian Circles were also the parent organization ofcolectivosin Venezuela.[10]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^abArenas, Nelly; Gómez Calcaño, Luis (January–June 2001). "Los Círculos Bolivarianos. El mito de la unidad del pueblo".Revista venezolana de ciencia política(in Spanish) (25).University of the Andes:5–37.
- ^abChavez, Rodrigo; Burke, Tom (30 July 2003)."ZNet | Venezuela | The Bolivarian Circles".Z Communications.Archived fromthe originalon 22 February 2004.Retrieved19 July2018.
- ^http:// bauleros.org/TEMAS/PAISES/ARGENTINA/2001-12-21_emancipacion.html.A version of Bolívar's oath had also been used by Chávez at the foundation of the "Ejército de Liberación del Pueblo de Venezuela" on 17 December 1982. Seehttp://elies.rediris.es/elies27/APONTE_MORENO_FINAL_THESIS.pdf.
- ^abc"Venezuela: Armed Bolivarian Circles".Stratfor.Retrieved1 March2015.
- ^abYergin, Daniel (2012).The Quest: energy, security and the remaking of the modern world(revised & updated ed.). New York:Penguin Books.ISBN978-0143121947.
- ^abcMorsbach, Greg. (BBC,12 June 2002)."Chavez accused of fostering militia links".Retrieved 13 Jun 2006.
- ^abcNelson, Brian A. (2012).The silence and the scorpion: the coup against Chávez and the making of modern Venezuela.New York: Nation Books. p. 16.ISBN9781568586861.
- ^"Ley de los Consejos Comunales"(PDF).REPÚBLICA BOLIVARIANA DE VENEZUELA. 10 April 2006.Retrieved19 July2018.
- ^Venezuela: A Mafia State?.Medellin, Colombia:InSight Crime.2018. pp. 3–84.
- ^abc"Venezuela's Pro-Government Activists Play a Role in Protest Violence".Stratfor.Retrieved1 March2015.
- ^abhttp:// unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home/opendoc.htm?tbl=RSDCOI&page=research&id=3dec9b4b4UNHCR
- ^Nichols, Elizabeth Gackstetter; Morse, Kimberly J.. (2010).Venezuela.ABC-CLIO. pp. 219–.ISBN978-1-59884-569-3.Retrieved25 May2013.
- ^"AREPA 14"(PDF).United States Department of State.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 28 November 2010.Retrieved4 February2015.
- ^Elner, Steve; Rosen, Fred."Crisis in Venezuela: The Remarkable Fall and Rise of Hugo Chávez (Coup, Chaos or Misunderstanding?)".North American Congress on Latin America.Retrieved1 March2015.
- ^Sierra, Sandra (8 November 2007)."Gunfire erupts at Venezuela university".newsvine. Associated Press.Archivedfrom the original on 11 December 2007.Retrieved3 December2007.
- ^"Tirotean a estudiantes opositores a Chávez"[Students opposed to Chavez are shot at].La Prensa(in Spanish). 8 November 2007.Retrieved15 November2023.
