CARACAS, Venezuela – Tens of thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets yesterday, chanting “Freedom, Freedom!” to protest President Hugo Chávez's decision not to renew the broadcast license of the country's most-watched TV station, an outlet for the opposition.
Police lined a Caracas avenue while the protesters paraded past, some holding signs reading, “No to silence,” while others placed tape over their mouths.
Radio Caracas Television, the sole opposition-aligned TV station with nationwide reach, is due to go off the air at midnight tonight.
Protesters say that by not renewing RCTV's license, Chávez is attempting to silence critics of his leftist government.
Founded in 1953, RCTV broadcasts a mix of talk shows, sports, soap operas and the popular comedy program “Radio Rochela,” which often pokes fun at Chávez.
“What is happening here is simply the silencing of a TV station,” shouted soap opera actress Gledys Ibarra.
Chávez defends the decision as a legal move to democratize the airwaves by turning over RCTV's signal to a public service channel.
The president and his supporters have accused RCTV of supporting a failed 2002 coup against him, violating broadcast laws and regularly showing programs with excessive violence and sexual content.
In one downtown Caracas plaza, hundreds of red-clad Chávez supporters gathered in front of a large television screen, where alleged violations by RCTV were replayed as the words “Tell the truth” rolled across the screen.
Chávez, a popular leader at odds with the United States, was re-elected in December by a wide margin.
His government also announced yesterday that it had renewed the broadcast licenses of four other TV stations.
