Neither action is worthy of a society in the 21st century

www.vheadline.com Posted: Monday, March 10, 2003 By: Charles Hardy

VHeadline.com commentarist Charles Hardy writes: He must have been terrified.  He was alone, surrounded by screaming people beating on his automobile.  They stuck their arms through an open window.  Then they busted another with their sticks.  They were kicking and threatening.

What was going through his mind?  As I write this, I can only imagine.  Would he come out alive?  Would he ever see his family again?

He hadn't done anything against them ... he was simply there, fulfilling a responsibility as a public agent.  A fugitive was in the area ... he was a police officer who had been sent there ... and suddenly his life, not that of the fugitive, was in danger.

This is not a scene from one of Caracas barrios or from a favela of Rio de Janeiro.  It is what happened March 9, the International Day of the Woman, in the midst of upper and middle class people of Caracas.

The opposition had sponsored a demonstration in the middle of the highway running through the center of the city.  Its purpose was to show support for Carlos Fernandez, Carlos Ortega and Juan Fernandez. Carlos Fernandez is under house arrest ... the other two are wanted by the police for their participation in the events of the past three months in Venezuelan.

At the conclusion of the event, Juan Fernandez, the leader of the rebel "Petroleum People" appeared and spoke for a few moments.  As one neighbor has commented, "if he is not guilty of anything, he should subject himself to the authorities.  There is no doubt that he has access to the finest attorneys in the country to defend him."

In any case, when the DISIP police appeared, they and not Fernandez were treated as lawbreakers ... and suddenly one found himself alone and the recipient of the aggression of the crowd.

Today, the newspapers don't pay much ... if any ... attention to the poor policeman.  A report on the "happening," which I just heard on Globovision, says that a unit of the DISIP was partially-damaged.  What about the poor person that was inside that vehicle?

If the same thing had happened to a lone reporter of Globovision in a demonstration of those supporting the government, there would have been protests and front-page coverage ... and rightfully so.  But, when persons supporting the opposition act savagely, there's only "partial damage" to the government vehicle.

Only yesterday, Amnesty International was asking people to sign a document protesting the possible stoning of a woman in Africa for having committed adultery ... in Caracas, a human being could have been beaten to death by members of the civil society, simply because he was a policeman.

Dear friends of the civil society, I don't see much difference between your actions and those of the people in Africa.

Neither action is worthy of a society in the 21st century.

Charlie A native of Cheyenne, Wyoming (USA), VHeadline.com columnist Charles Hardy has many years experience  as an international correspondent in Venezuela. You may email him at: hardyce2@yahoo.com