Leading Voices from Britain Urge Support for the Venezuelan Government’s Decision not to Renew RCTV’s Licence (Letter to The Guardian, UK)

[Some leading British voices write a letter to The Guardian in which they urge support for the Venezuelan government’s decision not to renew RCTV’s licence. --Ed]

Letter to The Guardian, UK
Leading Voices from Britain Urge Support for the Venezuelan Government’s Decision not to Renew RCTV’s Licence

By Various Authors - The Guardian

Television's role in the coup against Chávez

Saturday May 26, 2007
The Guardian

We believe that the decision of the Venezuelan government not to renew the broadcasting licence of RCTV when it expires on May 27 (Chávez silences critical TV station, May 23; Comment and Letters, May 25) is legitimate given that RCTV has used its access to the public airwaves to repeatedly call for the overthrow of the democratically elected government of President Hugo Chávez. RCTV gave vital practical support to the overthrow of Venezuela's elected government in April 2002 in which at least 13 people were killed. In the 47 hours that the coup plotters held power, they overturned much of Venezuela's democratic constitution - closing down the elected national assembly, the supreme court and other state institutions.

RCTV exhorted the public to take to the streets and overthrow the government and also colluded with the coup by deliberately misrepresenting what was taking place, and then conducting a news blackout. Its production manager, Andrés Izarra, who opposed the coup, immediately resigned so as not to become an accomplice.

This is not a case of censorship. In Venezuela more than 90% of the media is privately owned and virulently opposed to the Chávez government. RCTV, far from being silenced, is being allowed to continue broadcasting by satellite and cable. In Venezuela, as in Britain, TV stations must adhere to laws and regulations governing what they can broadcast. Imagine the consequences if the BBC or ITV were found to be part of a coup against the government. Venezuela deserves the same consideration.

Yours,

Tariq Ali

Tony Benn

Colin Burgon MP,

Dr. Julia Buxton, academic,

Ruqayyah Collector, Black Students’ Officer, National Union of Students,

Jeremy Corbyn MP,

Jon Cruddas MP,

Megan Dobney, Regional Secretary, SERTUC

Billy Hayes, General Secretary, CWU,

Gordon Hutchison, Secretary, Venezuela Information Centre,

Kelvin Hopkins MP,

Chris Martin, Director, The War on Democracy

Joni McDougall, International Solidarity Officer, GMB,

Gerry Morrissey, General Secretary, BECTU,

Kaveh Moussavi, University of Oxford

John Pilger,

Harold Pinter,

Professor Jonathan Rosenhead, LSE,

Keith Sonnet, Deputy General Secretary, UNISON,

Hugh O'Shaughnessy, writer and journalist,

Rod Stoneman, Executive Producer, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,

Jon Trickett MP,

Gemma Tumelty, President, National Union of Students,

Cllr Salma Yaqoob.

Comments

[Henry]

It is sad to see these "Leading voices" support the silencing of a private medium, while making blatantly false allegations, based on the ignorance of most British citizens of the real situation in Venezuela.

First of all, the decision to close RCTV, or "not to renew the license" or RCTV's vaporization in Newspeak, is NOT based on their alleged coupmongering. If that were the case, why take the measure now, five years after the coup? Besides, channel 4, Venevisión, owned by the Cisneros group, was far more "coupmongering". Mr. Cisneros actually conspired to overthrow Chávez, something that cannot be said of Mr. Granier.

Second, how did these "leading voices" arrive at this 90% of private media "virulently opposed to Chávez"? Do they include print, radio and TV stations? Most TV/VHF stations are either state-owned or, if privately-owned, have been cowed into submission by governmental pressure (channel 4 is a prime example, THAT is why it is not being closed, sorry, that is why their license is not being revoked). So, it is a lie to say that 90% of Venezuelan media is "privately owned" and "virulently opposed" to Chávez. The government has been actively purchasing radio, print, and TV media, including the Daily Journal, the only English-language daily.

An organization that cannot be accused of "coupmongering" or "imperialism", Reporters Without Borders, has unequivocally condemned Chávez's caprice (the elephant in the room, of course, is the fact that the decision to close RCTV was Chávez's, his own personal decision, without appeal of any kind).

[Henry]

Chávez is creating one, two, many Pravdas in Venezuela. You can be sure that TVES will not allow dissident voices. By the way, what a wonderfully democratic way to create a "participatory" TV station, by fiat from the Supreme Leader.

[BobFromBrockley]

Whatever the politics of RCTV, surely it must be a bad thing for democracy to close down media outlets for their political positions. If supporting overthrow of a democratically elected government was a reason not to license a TV station or newspaper, what would the outcome be for the left press in the UK? Come to think of it, I'm sure I've read articles advocating revolution in Red Pepper...

[Henry]

Good point, BobFromBrockley. This is what Trotsky had to say about freedom of the press in a capitalist society (and no sane person has argued that Venezuela is not a capitalist society): "Theory, as well as historic experience, testify that any restriction to democracy in bourgeois society, is eventually directed against the proletariat, just as taxes eventually fall on the shoulders of the proletariat."

I recommend that Chávez's lackeys read Trotsky's entire article: http://marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1938/08/press.htm