Chávez backers protest TV station in Venezuela

Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela – Government supporters protested Monday outside the studios of Globovision, the only television station stridently against Hugo Chávez remaining on the open airwaves.

The protesters, riding motorcycles and waving the flags of the radical pro-Chávez party, tossed tear gas canisters at the station. The channel said some assailants fired shots at the studios in Caracas, and it broadcast video showing clouds of tear gas outside the building as employees ran for cover.

Globovision’s director, Alberto Federico Ravell, condemned the violence and urged Chávez to control his backers.

Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami also condemned “this violent action against a television channel” and said authorities were investigating.

The action came two days after 34 radio stations targeted by the Chávez government were forced off the air in what critics say is a campaign to muzzle his foes.

And, on Monday, one of Chávez’s leftist allies, Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa, announced that many radio and TV frequencies there will revert to the state over what he called irregularities in their licenses. He gave no specifics.

Globovision is facing multiple investigations that could force it off the air.