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    Chavez raps allies for posing kids with rifles

    CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Hugo Chavez is strongly condemning an armed pro-government group for allegedly allowing children to pose with assault rifles. He says it could hurt his image ahead of Venezuela's presidential election.

    Chavez took members of La Piedrita to task, calling them irresponsible and questioning their revolutionary ideals for staging a Jan. 23 event in which youngsters wearing ski masks appeared brandishing assault rifles.

    While adults held a political rally backing Chavez, the kids sat in front of a mural of Jesus Christ holding a Kalashnikov rifle alongside an angel in a white dress, one of the numerous pro-government murals covering walls in the capital's tough, working-class 23 de Enero district.

    "This is a serious irresponsibility," Chavez said Thursday night during a nationally televised address. "This hurts the revolution."

    Only soldiers, police and state security officers, along with citizens with permits, are authorized to carry firearms, Chavez noted.

    Representatives of La Piedrita have not publicly commented on mounting criticism from allies and adversaries of Chavez regarding the incident.

    Photographs of the armed children were recently posted anonymously on Facebook and Twitter, shocking many Venezuelans.

    "Instead of teaching civic values, they are indoctrinating little ones" with violent, revolutionary ideology, said Freddy Guevara, an opposition politician.

    Authorities have strongly criticized La Piedrita previously.

    "We can only describe such activities as repulsive and morally unacceptable," Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami said of the latest incident while speaking a news conference earlier Thursday.

    El Aissami said an investigation had been launched to determine who armed the children.

    Opposition politicians have repeatedly accused the government of arming thuggish pro-Chavez groups that have attacked anti-Chavez street marches, lobbed tear gas canisters at critical television stations and brandished their weapons while riding motorcycles through downtown Caracas.

    Chavez, one of Latin America's most outspoken critics of U.S. policy on the region, suggested some members of the shadowy, secretive La Piedrita are doing Washington's bidding.

    "I doubt they are true revolutionaries; they must be CIA infiltrators," he said.

    ___

    Christopher Toothaker on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ctoothaker

     

    26 comments

    • maryjanesuncle  •  3 mths ago
      "I doubt they are true revolutionaries; they must be CIA infiltrators," he said...lol..go home to your wife Sean Penn.
    • charlie  •  St James, New York  •  3 mths ago
      "as ye sow, so shall ye reap"......guess what Chavez....the chickens are coming home to roost. You've created the La Piedrita, not Washington or the CIA.
    • Joe  •  Omaha, Nebraska  •  3 mths ago
      The Little Dictator doesn't care that the kids have guns, most likely he encourages this type of devotion. What The Little Dictator cares about and is the only thing he cares about is, that his image may be hurt from the photos of the gun toting kids. So, in short, The Little Dictator asks his allies, please continue to arm these kids but for God's sake please don't take photos of them.
    • The Phantom Philosopher  •  Titusville, Florida  •  3 mths ago
      1. "He says it could hurt his image ahead of Venezuela's presidential election."

      How about because it is just plain wrong?

      2. "While adults held a political rally backing Chavez, the kids sat in front of a mural of Jesus Christ holding a Kalashnikov rifle alongside an angel in a white dress, one of the numerous pro-government murals covering walls in the capital's tough, working-class 23 de Enero district."

      Now there's a real collision of paradigms! The AP just had to throw us that bone.
    • trickytrunk  •  Cleveland, Ohio  •  3 mths ago
      whoops recruiting photo leaked....
    • Stinger  •  Tampa, Florida  •  3 mths ago
      Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo!
    • STRASBURG PARENT  •  Edinburg, Virginia  •  3 mths ago
      What revolution stupid piece of #$%$!!!!
    • Stony  •  3 mths ago
      Chavez is just jealous because his buddy in Iran has kids posing on tanks. He got upstaged.
    • Vince  •  Wallingford, Connecticut  •  3 mths ago
      "youngsters wearing ski masks appeared brandishing assault rifles" Sounds like they've taken a few pointer from Hamas. Now ain't that progressive?
    • Look, it's still brea ...  •  3 mths ago
      Dictator
    • Dale Bird  •  3 mths ago
      Ignore this horse's patooty!
    • Murray  •  Norfolk, Virginia  •  3 mths ago
      What the heck...he GIVES the arms to his street gangs anyway, so they can terrorize the decent citizens who would like to see a return to Democracy and Freedom. His "Image"? His IMAGE is a FAT PIG COMMUNIST DICTATOR who STEALS (expropriates without paying) from anybody who is actually doing something constructive. His "IMAGE" is a sleaze who aids and abets DRUG SMUGGLERS. His "IMAGE" is a dictator who thinks he can control all aspects of an economy he knows NOTHING about, and is ruining it for everyone except his corrupt pals. His "IMAGE" is Friend to North Korea, Iran, and Belarus, the three worst countries in the world. It is only to be hoped that SOMEBODY in Venezuela will have the guts to rid the world of this rat.
    • Sweet Baby J  •  Geneseo, Illinois  •  3 mths ago
      first he creates class warfare by having the poor attack the rich,sounds like here. then he creates groups of thugs like these to attack the newspapers, radio and TV stations. they seize property and split up the large ranches that provide food. That is except the one Chavez took over the same one he had his eye on since he was a small child then complains
    • Marcia  •  Miami, Florida  •  3 mths ago
      THE,PIG ,SPOKEN,very soon the pig ,are going to exterminate him self e pluribum unum
    • KennethM  •  Tampa, Florida  •  3 mths ago
      There is only an age difference here because Chavez's National guard poses all day long every where in the counrty with their's arms and tanks, jeeps with 50 cal. guns atop keeping the public a bay. So what if kids are ready to fight against this communist prick. go for it and kick him way out of your country.
    • rusophino  •  Salida, California  •  3 mths ago
      WHAT ELSE IS NEW!
      if Mr, Chavez gets a pimple on his bottoms he will blame the CIA or the gringos,
      people know that is an other if his tricks,
      he supports la Piedrita movement he knew about when that event was taking place in advance,
      this man has no shame!!!!
    • JR1  •  Dearborn, Michigan  •  3 mths ago
      He got the idea from the Hitler Youth but they were suppose to work behind the scenes to eradicate his enemies.
    • canadian bacon  •  Tucson, Arizona  •  3 mths ago
      i didnt know hugo was a rapper
    • D P  •  Middletown, New York  •  3 mths ago
      DO NOT BUY CITGO GAS.....

      The money helps Hugo stay in power. The government owns the company
    • S.  •  3 mths ago
      Chavez is against "POSING" children with rifles (allowing the rest of the world to know what's going on) Chavez is not against enlisting children (all dictaors follow the Youth of Hilter program & draft children 8 or 9 years old to brainwash)
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