Skip to content
September 25, 2023
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Reddit
  • Telegram
  • TikTok
  • LinkedIn
  • Discord
Orinoco Tribune – News and opinion pieces about Venezuela and beyond

Orinoco Tribune – News and opinion pieces about Venezuela and beyond

From Venezuela and made by Venezuelan Chavistas

Primary Menu
  • News
  • Opinion
  • About us
    • About us
    • Who we are – Becoming a Volunteer
    • Editorial guidelines for contributors
    • Our Sources
      • Venezuelan Sources
      • International Sources
    • Contact us
  • Categories
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Security and Defense
    • International
      • Africa
      • Asia
      • Europe
      • Oceania
      • US/Canada
    • Latin America and ALBA-TCP
      • South America
      • Central America and the Caribbean (+Mexico)
    • Ideology-Commune-Labor
    • Health-Education-Sport-Culture-Technology
    • Solidarity and Social Movements
    • OT Specials
  • Support Us
Light/Dark Button
YouTube Channel
  • Home
  • News
  • “The Militia is All of us”: Who Are Venezuela’s Pro-Maduro “Colectivos”, so Demonized by the West?
  • News
  • Security and Defense

“The Militia is All of us”: Who Are Venezuela’s Pro-Maduro “Colectivos”, so Demonized by the West?

April 6, 2019

Ever since the US recognized Venezuela’s wannabe coup leader, pro-government activists have been bracing for possible military intervention. Western media have been for years portraying them as thugs of the dictatorship.

So-called ‘colectivos’ caught the eye of the Western mainstream media around 2011, depicted as government-sanctioned gangs who are allowed to commit crimes in their neighborhoods with impunity as long as they serve as vigilantes against the opposition.

The term comes from much earlier times in the 1960s, when it was used to describe self-organized local political action groups banding together for various causes. An indigenous tribe opposing logging on its ancestral land, a local volunteer radio station going on air to discuss local politics, or an ad hoc labor union negotiating better conditions are all examples of colectivos.

The government of Hugo Chavez found natural allies in colectivos stemming from poorer communities, which were the focus of various programs to eradicate poverty, provide basic education and healthcare. The groups, with their experience of collective action and networking, became part of Venezuelan society and served as volunteer organizers for elections. Today, the government claims that 1.6 million people, or one-in-20 Venezuelans, are members of colectivos.

 

Ruptly’s short documentary maker Redfish spoke to members of some of these groups, asking what made them join and what they gained from their decision. People spoke about empowerment, politics and, yes, violence. They are training to use arms and prepare for an insurgency, should the US deliver on its threat of military invasion.

“The militia is all of us. It’s the people,” one colectivo member said. “It shouldn’t be taboo to say this.”

Watch the report to learn more.

 

Source URL: RT News

 

 

 

Don't want to be a victim of the Algorithm?

SIGN UP TO RECEIVE OUR WEEKLY DIGEST WITH ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT VENEZUELA AND BEYOND

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

orinocotribune
Website | + posts
  • orinocotribune
    https://orinocotribune.com/author/orinocotribune/
    President Nicolás Maduro speaking at a press conference in late 2022. File photo.
    September 25, 2023
    President Maduro Accuses Guyana of Becoming an ExxonMobil Branch Amid Border Dispute (+Geneva Agreement)
  • orinocotribune
    https://orinocotribune.com/author/orinocotribune/
    Venezuelan Interior and Justice Minister Admiral Remigio Ceballos speaks during a press conference at the Tocorón Penitentiary Center, Aragua state, September 23, 2023. Photo: AFP.
    September 24, 2023
    Venezuela's Interior Minister: Criminal Gang Tren de Aragua Dismantled (+Niño Guerrero)
  • orinocotribune
    https://orinocotribune.com/author/orinocotribune/
    Part of the weapons arsenal seized by Venezuelan authorities after raiding Tocoron Prison on September 20, 2023. Photo: AFP.
    September 23, 2023
    Venezuela's Attorney General: Dismantling Tocorón Prison a Blow to Criminal Mafias (+Alarming Videos)
  • orinocotribune
    https://orinocotribune.com/author/orinocotribune/
    Meeting between the CNP and the former CNE executive board on March 8, 2023. Photo: X/@cneesvzla/File photo.
    September 22, 2023
    Venezuela's Electoral Authorities to Provide Technical Assistance to Opposition Primaries
Tags: Bolivarian National Militia Chavismo Colectivos Security and Defense

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Continue Reading

Previous Previous post:

Washington DC, protesters say, “No to NATO! Hands off Venezuela!”

Next Next post:

Chancellor Arreaza: No Act of Imperialism Will Deter Cooperation Between Free Countries (Cuba-Venezuela)

Subscribe to Weekly Digest

We keep your data private and share your data only with third parties that make this service possible. Read our Privacy Policy.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

NEWS: MOST POPULAR

Calendar

September 2023
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
252627282930  
« Aug    

Categories

OPINION: MOST POPULAR

We are on Telegram


Receive our news directly in your cell phone or PC, join us on our TELEGRAM channel.

 

We are on Discord


Join our Discord server to check our content without algorithms and to interact directly with our team.

The original content by Orinoco Tribune is free to share and it is licensed under CC BY 4.0

We are on Reddit

If you are more into REDDIT, join our Orinoco Tribune subreddit.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Reddit
  • Telegram
  • TikTok
  • LinkedIn
  • Discord
Copyleft, No rights reserved.

W E    N E E D    Y O U R    S U P P O R T

Orinoco Tribune operates without any advertising. We are not funded by any governments, think tanks, or large institutions. Our operations are entirely funded by readers like you. Our most generous donors have been targeted by the US for supporting socialist causes or are financially struggling. As a result, their accounts have been frozen, cutting off a significant revenue stream and severely threatening the sustainability of Orinoco Tribune.

We urge our readers and supporters, especially those not currently doing so, to help us with small donation (such as US $5 or $10/month) via Patreon, via Paypal/Credit-Card/crypto or via paper checks. Readers and supporters like you will allow us to continue bringing you progressive and hard-hitting news from Latin America, the Global South, and the world.

Help us reach our goal of $650 in monthly Patreon donations. We are counting on you as our only source of financial support!