Print

Maduro in the Cross-hairs: What You are not Being Told about the Crisis in Venezuela
By Michael Welch and Mike Prysner
Global Research, November 11, 2018

Url of this article:
https://www.globalresearch.ca/maduro-in-the-cross-hairs-what-you-are-not-being-told-about-the-crisis-in-venezuela/5659476

“When I was there, even the protestors we talked to on the ground… they just want to be filmed by the international press so then they can show it (to) the international media to create an international scandal. So they’re quite aware of what the strategy is and they’ve been at it for some time.” – Mike Prysner, from this week’s interview.

*

LISTEN TO THE SHOW

Click to download the audio (MP3 format)

While the Trump Administration is mobilizing U.S, troops to greet the arrival to the U.S. border of 7000 Central American migrants, Colombia takes in over 4000 Venezuelan migrants daily as a result of the economic crisis plaguing the country.

The economic noose has been tightening around the population of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela over the last year. The economic sanctions directed at the Maduro government have taken their toll contributing to the plight of ordinary Venezuelans.

Those sanctions were triggered in September 2017, following a call by the Association formed between Canada and the United States to “take economic measures against Venezuela and persons responsible for the current situation in Venezuela.” [1]

The Canadian and American governments cite what they considered to be anti-democratic behaviour, including the use of a National Constituent Assembly (NCA) to subvert the will of the democratically elected National Assembly. These and other countries around the globe rejected an NCA electoral process which was boycotted by the (anti-Maduro) opposition, and that they determined to be “fraught with gerrymandering and allegations of vote rigging.”[2]

Efforts to challenge these government narratives have been frustrated. National broadcasts in Canada and the U.S. have been ratcheting up the perception of President Maduro and his ‘dictatorial’ ways as a contributor to the human rights situation now plaguing the Venezuelan citizenry. Most recently, solidarity activists in Canada have been lamenting their failure, as of this date, to bring a Venezuelan Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Ron Martinez, to Canada. The claim has been made, though not yet verified, that Ottawa is deliberately blocking the Minister’s passage to Canada.

On this week’s Global Research News Hour radio program, we make an effort to counter the conventional talking points about Venezuela, and get more detail on some of the efforts to change the Canadian government’s stance.

American-based Telesur journalist Mike Prysner has done exhaustive reporting from Venezuela throughout the National Constituency election process and witnessed much of the opposition protests directed against Maduro in the last year. He brings us his perspective in our first half hour.

In the second half hour, Toronto based organizer Barry Weisleder joins us to share his thoughts about the Trudeau government’s hostility toward the Bolivarian Republic and some of the challenges, including the above mentioned setback, faced by Canadian solidarity activists.

Finally, we hear part of a speech given to a Winnipeg audience (via skype) by Venezuelan Deputy Minister Carlos Ron Martinez about the situation in Venezuela, and how they are coping.

Los Angeles based Mike Prysner is an Iraq War veteran turned anti-war activist. He has co-produced the Empire Files with noted journalist Abby Martin. He also produces the Eyes Left podcast.

Barry Weisleder is a retired teacher and union organizer and the federal secretary of Socialist action.

Carlos Ron Martinez is the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs for North America. He had previously served in Washington D.C. as the Chief of Venezuelan business affairs in the United States. Plans to host talks by the Minister in several Canadian cities were derailed following indefinite delays in securing a visitor’s visa.

Global Research News Hour Episode 236

LISTEN TO THE SHOW

Click to download the audio (MP3 format)

The Global Research News Hour airs every Friday at 1pm CT on CKUW 95.9FM in Winnipeg. The programme is also podcast at globalresearch.ca . Excerpts of the show have begun airing on Rabble Radio and appear as podcasts at rabble.ca.

The Global Research News Hour now airs Fridays at 6pm PST, 8pm CST and 9pm EST on Alternative Current Radio (alternativecurrentradio.com)

Community Radio Stations carrying the Global Research News Hour:

CHLY 101.7fm in Nanaimo, B.C – Thursdays at 1pm PT

Boston College Radio WZBC 90.3FM NEWTONS  during the Truth and Justice Radio Programming slot -Sundays at 7am ET.

Port Perry Radio in Port Perry, Ontario –1  Thursdays at 1pm ET

Burnaby Radio Station CJSF out of Simon Fraser University. 90.1FM to most of Greater Vancouver, from Langley to Point Grey and from the North Shore to the US Border.

It is also available on 93.9 FM cable in the communities of SFU, Burnaby, New Westminister, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Surrey and Delta, in British Columbia, Canada. – Tune in  at its new time – Wednesdays at 4pm PT.

Radio station CFUV 101.9FM based at the University of Victoria airs the Global Research News Hour every Sunday from 7 to 8am PT.

CORTES COMMUNITY RADIO CKTZ  89.5 out of Manson’s Landing, B.C airs the show Tuesday mornings at 10am Pacific time.

Cowichan Valley Community Radio CICV 98.7 FM serving the Cowichan Lake area of Vancouver Island, BC airs the program Thursdays at 6am pacific time.

Campus and community radio CFMH 107.3fm in  Saint John, N.B. airs the Global Research News Hour Fridays at 10am.

Caper Radio CJBU 107.3FM in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia airs the Global Research News Hour starting Wednesday Morning from 8:00 to 9:00am. Find more details at www.caperradio.ca

RIOT RADIO, the visual radio station based out of Durham College in Oshawa, Ontario has begun airing the Global Research News Hour on an occasional basis. Tune in at dcstudentsinc.ca/services/riot-radio/

Radio Fanshawe: Fanshawe’s 106.9 The X (CIXX-FM) out of London, Ontario airs the Global Research News Hour Sundays at 6am with an encore at 4pm.

Los Angeles, California based Thepowerofvoices.com airs the Global Research News Hour every Monday from 6-7pm Pacific time. 

Notes:

  1. http://www.international.gc.ca/world-monde/international_relations-relations_internationales/sanctions/venezuela.aspx?lang=eng
  2. ibid

 

Disclaimer: The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). The Centre for Research on Globalization will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article.