Trafalgar Square saw an invasion of yellow, red and blue flags yesterday as feisty and loud protesters from Venezuela gathered to demonstrate against their Government’s proposed constitutional reform.
Tens of nationals from this Latin American country, living in the UK on what most call “self-imposed exile”, attracted looks from tourists and passers-by as they chanted insignias and slogans in favour of freedom and democracy.
Tens of nationals from this Latin American country, living in the UK on what most call “self-imposed exile”, attracted looks from tourists and passers-by as they chanted insignias and slogans in favour of freedom and democracy.
“I am here to raise awareness about the constitutional reform in my country, whose aim is to perpetuate (President Hugo) Chavez in power forever” said Josefina Uzcategui, 26, a demonstrator.
The protest was organised by Taryn Caravaca, 31, the UK coordinator of the Venezuelan international NGO Recivex, with branches all over the world.
Elections will be held in Venezuela on December 2 to see whether or not the reform is approved by the people. In London there are around 2,000 registered Venezuelan voters.
The constitutional reform has been a very controversial issue in and outside Venezuela. It includes changes to the presidential term, even more centralised power and the possibility for the State to restrict access to information and the suspension of due process in emergency situations.
Labour laws would also change, reducing the working day from 8 to 6 hours, while new types of property, including popular and public would be enshrined alongside private property.
Reflective report: As a Venezuelan living in London, I always get news about events with other Venezuelans. In this particular case, a friend who is very politically involved called me about a protest that was going to take place in Trafalgar Square on Sunday, December 25th. The protest was aimed at raising awareness about the Venezuelan constitutional reform and the elections that were coming up (they were held on Sunday, December 2nd). I decided to attend both as a Venezuelan and as a journalist with an eye set on a possible news article.The protest was relatively small, as there are not many Venezuelans in the United Kingdom anyway. However, it was chance to meet with fellow countrymen and discuss recent events.I finally put my journalist’s cap on and went to look for the person responsible for the organising the protest. Her name is Taryn Caravaca and she is a school teacher in London, where she moved from Venezuela about three years ago when her husband got offered a better job. She describes herself as on “self-imposed exile”, echoing the feelings of other attendees. Taryn is also the main contact of the international Venezuela NGO, Recivex (Venezuelan Residents Abroad). She was very forthcoming about her work for the NGO and was happy to talk to me and have her picture taken. I also interviewed a few of the other people there and got a feeling of the general atmosphere. Many of them were going to vote on the coming elections, but a few were still unconvinced. Abstention is a very big news topic in Venezuela, which is why it grabbed my attention. In the end, I wrote a short story describing the protest in itself along with some background information to make it more relevant. I took several pictures, but decided on the one shown because it includes Taryn Caravaca in the foreground.
Reflective report: As a Venezuelan living in London, I always get news about events with other Venezuelans. In this particular case, a friend who is very politically involved called me about a protest that was going to take place in Trafalgar Square on Sunday, December 25th. The protest was aimed at raising awareness about the Venezuelan constitutional reform and the elections that were coming up (they were held on Sunday, December 2nd). I decided to attend both as a Venezuelan and as a journalist with an eye set on a possible news article.The protest was relatively small, as there are not many Venezuelans in the United Kingdom anyway. However, it was chance to meet with fellow countrymen and discuss recent events.I finally put my journalist’s cap on and went to look for the person responsible for the organising the protest. Her name is Taryn Caravaca and she is a school teacher in London, where she moved from Venezuela about three years ago when her husband got offered a better job. She describes herself as on “self-imposed exile”, echoing the feelings of other attendees. Taryn is also the main contact of the international Venezuela NGO, Recivex (Venezuelan Residents Abroad). She was very forthcoming about her work for the NGO and was happy to talk to me and have her picture taken. I also interviewed a few of the other people there and got a feeling of the general atmosphere. Many of them were going to vote on the coming elections, but a few were still unconvinced. Abstention is a very big news topic in Venezuela, which is why it grabbed my attention. In the end, I wrote a short story describing the protest in itself along with some background information to make it more relevant. I took several pictures, but decided on the one shown because it includes Taryn Caravaca in the foreground.
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