Anti-government protesters throughout Venezuela are bringing down massive statues of Hugo Chávez as a means of voicing their frustration regarding the alleged election theft by Nicolás Maduro, Chávez’s chosen successor.
In La Guaira, a coastal city near Caracas, remnants of twisted rebar and concrete are scattered around a pedestal where demonstrators pulled down a statue of Chávez during a protest on Monday night. This statue was inaugurated by Maduro in 2017.
A video shared with The Associated Press by a protester captures the moment when the 12-foot statue of the leader, affectionately known as El Comandante, was toppled amid cheers of “this government is going to fall.” Once on the ground, the statue was towed away by motorcycles, soaked in gasoline, and ignited, according to the protester.
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“This carries a significant meaning for us,” explained the protester, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of arrest. “Every time we challenge one of their symbols, we diminish their power.”
This is not the first occurrence of monuments honoring the architect of the so-called Bolivarian Revolution being targeted by outraged crowds. Similar actions took place during periods of anti-government protests in 2017 and 2019.
A toppled statue of the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez rests next to its base in Valencia, Venezuela, on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, following protests against the official election results that confirmed Chávez’s protégé, the current President Nicolás Maduro, as the victor. (AP Photo/Jacinto Oliveros)
The frequency and coordinated nature of these attacks—five within just 24 hours—underscore the profound anger felt by many Venezuelans after the National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner of Sunday’s presidential election. The opposition claims that their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, received more than twice the votes of the incumbent.
A plainclothes military intelligence officer prevented journalists from photographing the remnants of the destroyed statue in La Guaira. The officer, who did not disclose his identity, stated that the nation is “at war,” asserting that any act disrespecting Chávez offends millions of Venezuelans who honored the former army paratrooper and anti-imperialist figure.
Maduro announced that several individuals have been arrested in relation to the attacks, comparing these incidents to upheavals in post-Soviet nations such as Ukraine and Georgia.
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“What are these individuals thinking? What feelings do they hold?” Maduro questioned during a televised address on Monday evening, while displaying images of some of the attacks. “Just think about what they would do if they ever gained power here.”
