I don’t know about you, but I haven’t heard much about the protests in Venezuela during the past few weeks. Until very recently, I hadn’t heard anything about civilians being shot, and peaceful protesters being harmed by pro government officials on any news channels.
It’s safe to say that this is rather shocking and wrong.
Protests started officially on Feb. 24, when Venezuelan students barricaded the streets in Barquisimeto, a central city of Venezuela. Due to the failing economy, essential supplies such as milk, bread, and toilet paper are scarce. After Hugo Chavez died last year, President Nicolás Maduro stepped into office. Since then, the economy has plummeted, and homicide rates in the country are at an all time high—one of the highest worldwide.
The response to the young adults was staggering—state sponsored paramilitaries opened fire into the crowds, with groups of the soldiers riding motorcycles through the streets at night (shooting anyone who they suspected to be rebellious). They also threw tear gas canisters into apartment buildings full of innocent civilians.
Despite these horrific occurrences, there was only radio silence from major news websites like The New York Times, BBC News, CNN, and Fox News. The only updates of the injustices taking place came through social media websites like Twitter and Facebook, and through videos posted on Youtube by people experiencing the violence.
Overall, it’s disgusting to me that this went overlooked for even a couple of days. Peaceful protestors—and even people who haven’t made any sort of public grievances in regards to the Venezuelan government—are being harmed, tortured, and killed. Radio silence from news broadcasters that are held in such high regard is absolutely unacceptable.