Watch a guest demolish the BBC’s Venezuela propaganda straight to the broadcaster’s face

BBC studio and Pablo Navarrete
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Journalist and filmmaker Pablo Navarrete has demolished the BBC’s Venezuela propaganda, straight to the broadcaster’s face.

‘Only 20% of Venezuelans had even heard of the coup leader’

Navarrete began on 26 January by calling out the ongoing NATO and EU-backed coup attempt that the BBC has been presenting as humanitarian:

It’s pretty lamentable that what appears to be quite a shameless and unconstitutional power grab by Juan Guaidó in Venezuela is being supported and promoted by the US – and a number of its allies in the UK and now France and Spain have given Maduro seven days to call elections otherwise they say they will recognise Guaidó as the president of Venezuela. I think we have to really step back and look at what’s happened here. A guy who, until a week ago, was known by less than 20% of the Venezuelan population has proclaimed himself president, unconstitutionally, and has been recognised by the US. We now know he met with the US in mid December. And so this is the latest stage of escalation of a regime-change plan by the US, which has been trying to overthrow the Venezuelan government for… nearly 20 years now.

In 2002, Washington backed powerful local allies in Venezuela in an attempt to overthrow former president Hugo Chávez in a coup. The US has tried to destabilise the country through sanctions, covert funding of right-wing opposition parties, and disinformation about its electoral system ever since. Now, the US and the Western corporate media have announced that Guaidó – a person whom only one in five Venezuelans had heard of before the coup attempt – is Venezuela’s rightful president.

Take down by analogy

The BBC presenter then said:

As you said though, it’s not just the US… there are clearly concerns internationally – and many Venezuelans as well – who are unhappy with the presidency of Maduro.

Read on...

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But Navarrete, founder and co-editor of independent media outlet Alborada, had an analogy ready:

Sure… there are many people that are unhappy with… prime minister Theresa May. It doesn’t mean that a minor member of the Labour Party can declare himself president on Oxford Street. We have to differentiate between the crisis, which is very real, desperate –  my family live in Venezuela – and regime change… You can be against the government but look for a political solution, which is what has been tried. The ex-president of Spain… spent two years trying to get a political solution, which was very close. And at the last minute – due to the US interference – this didn’t come to fruition. That’s the only solution for the polarisation that’s taking place in Venezuela. It certainly isn’t a military coup headed by the US, which, as we all know, has a sordid history of military intervention in Latin America with hundreds of thousands of people dying as a result.

Venezuela already had an election recently

With a low turnout of just under half the eligible voters, Maduro won 68% of the vote in May 2018. The closest runner-up was Henri Falcón with 21%. Other right-wing opposition leaders such as Guaidó boycotted the election (even though they could have won if they’d united). Instead, they apparently opted to try and force the collapse of Maduro’s government through a combination of US sanctions, protests, and propaganda.

Guaidó claims that the election is not valid because the voting system is corrupt. But the opposite seems to be true. Because former US president Jimmy Carter, for example, had previously called the Venezuelan voting system “the best in the world”. Cross-party observers, for example, audit the electoral process – which includes fingerprint scanners, voting receipts and high-tech systems.

Still, Guaidó is alleging that the election was fraudulent in order to topple Maduro. And given that Guaidó is president of the national assembly, he claims that he constitutionally becomes the de facto leader of Venezuela if there is no legitimate president. That is disputed.

But the main problem is: Maduro is the elected president. So Donald Trump, the mainstream media, and most of the ‘neoliberal‘ world order are helping Guaidó overthrow democracy in Venezuela.

Fortunately, Navarrete brought a much-needed dose of reality to the BBC. And it was incredibly refreshing to see.

Featured image via Pablo Navarrete/ YouTube

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  • Show Comments

      That “best in the world” quote is Carter speaking before the 2012 elections. Here’s the Carter Centre’s Jennie K Lincoln talking about the 2017 ‘constituent assembly’ elections:

      “On top of the fact the election was illegal, the (electoral council) broke every rule in the book of electoral integrity. This election destroyed any vestiges of democracy that might have yet existed in Venezuela.”

    2. Thing is, as the US sanctions on Maduro and his allies state, the 1999 constitution of Venezuela does mean that the National Assembly can out vote Maduro, so…

      About he election, here is a man who got even more aggression against him, and became even more unpopular and he went from getting 50.61% (in the first election) of the vote to 67.8%… hmmm, that sounds really dodgy to me, especially considering all the rebellions that have been taking place, this is not the first, this is jut the first time the constitution has been behind those seeking change. How can you go from being 0.61% more popular than the next guy to being 17.8% more popular despite becoming less popular with the general mob, the same mob who votes you in?

      1. Maduro has a very high following of the indigenous people( Poor) , who have been left behind by previous Right wing governments of Venezuela, until Chavez was ELECTED president and began spending the country’s money on Health, Education and Housing, instead of just giving it away to the US oil industry.
        All this has nothing to do with democracy or human rights and all to do with Venezuela’s natural resources and who benefits from them.

    3. It’s important that the Left at least reports Venezuela accurately. To say that Guaidó’s claims to the presidency are “disputed” is not adequate. Venezuela of course has a US-style constitutional system, where if the President were to resign, be absent or incapable (irrelevant in this case) the Vice President takes over. Guaidó’s argument is the equivalent of saying that if Trump resigns, Nancy Pelosi becomes president!

      1. Really? I thought that the Constitution of Venezuela stated that the president of the National Assembly should become interim president in such a situation. The president of the National Assembly is Juan Guaidó. Could you point me to the article of the Constitution which supports your assertion?

    4. The guest Pablo Navarrete was succinct in outlining America’s role since 2002 to destablize the Venezualan democracy through covert funding of right wing opposition parties, disinformation about its electoral system, and sanctions. And now the neoliberal empire denies access to its gold reserves in England.
      Its clear the BBC has become a purely propaganda machine, and has relinquished its role in journalism. Otherwise it would investigate these claims of Mr. Navarrete’s whose family lives In Venezuala, and has first hand experience.
      They are not interested in the truth. They are only concerned with hearing the story they proscribe for us while enacting this crime without democracy’s consent.
      Sophisticated oppression by the Elite.
      What needs to be done is to create a court to hear “Crimes against Democracy” which is governed by its own laws [yet to be created] detailing the rights democracy has. These in esssence would see violations as having a socially crimminal aspect in their nature.
      This Elite Empire even though professing the virtues of democracy has no understanding of it , and no interest in
      nourishing it.
      Let us draw our own line in the sand.
      I’m opening the discussion for the creation of this Court to hear Crimes against Democracy?
      Anyone intested who is more adept than I am on the computor?
      Most likely smarter as well.

    5. Why did all the Western leaders just follow Trump’s lead when he lies continually. Fact checkers dog Trump constantly about his mistruths. So why do these Western Leaders of England, Canada. EU, Nato have a blind faith in what he says is true??
      Its a wonderful opportunity for viewing how unthinking our leaders are.
      If anyone thinks the structure of our social leadership as it stands will deal with the future just look at the young Swedish girl protesting about global warming, and the inactions of politicians over 25 years alone in Davos sitting on a snowbank.
      It used to be a practise to sacrifrice children to the Gods 3 milleniums ago . I think people just became more clever in being vain about their importance to appear civilized.

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