COPEI: Assault on Petare is the voice of 900 barrios and urbanizations

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Wednesday, June 11, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

The Christian Socialists (COPEI) has gone to the Attorney General's Office asking for protection during the opposition "Assault on Petare" scheduled for Friday, June 13. 

Miranda State Legislative Assembly deputy, Oscar Perez says he does not care that Sucre Mayor Jose Vicente Avalos has not given permission for the rally clearly aimed at provoking government supporters in the area. 

"The rally will go on because it is the voice of more than 900 barrios and urbanizations in Petare that have nothing to thanks President Chavez Frias' Revolution for." 

Citing Petare's ills, Perez cites 54% poverty and 126 homicides in Q1, Perez de Leon and Domingo Luciani hospitals in a bad way and absolutely no social programs. 

Perez has confirmed that 3,000 Metropolitan (PM) and Miranda State Police will be on duty to prevent violence. 

Executive Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel suggests that the rally should be held elsewhere to avoid public order unrest. "The right to protest is a democratic rights but it can never be above the right to life."