Chavez Leads Anti-Bush Rally

(AP)  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez joined 20,000 people in a soccer stadium rally Friday night, capping a day of protests and taunts against U.S. President George W. Bush and his tour of Latin America.

"Oh, ho ho! Gringo go Home!" Chavez declared Friday before donning a bright red shirt symbolizing his brand of socialist revolution at an "anti-imperialist" rally in the Argentine capital, just across the Rio de la Plata from Bush's stops in Uruguay.

Across the river border in the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo, a small knot of rowdy anti-American demonstrators punched and scuffled with some bystanders and shattered windows at an American fast-food restaurant. The incident came as Bush flew to Uruguay from neighboring Brazil.

"Exterminate the Empire!" a masked woman spraypainted on a business facade as some rocks flew. There was no report of any serious injuries but the incidents underscored the tension as Uruguay's first leftist president, Tabare Vazquez, awaited to meet Bush on Saturday.

Chavez has said Bush's five-nation swing would fail to improve America's image and dismissed his pledges of U.S. aid as a cynical attempt to "confuse" Latin Americans.

"I believe the chief objective of the Bush trip is to try to scrub clean the face of the empire in Latin America. But it's too late," the Venezuelan leader said earlier in the day on Argentine state television. "It seems he's just now discovered that poverty exists in the region."

At the stadium rally, About 20,000 people, men and women, old and young, applauded Chavez, who spoke under banners reading "Bush, Out!" Earlier, youths in the crowd danced amid shouts: "Anyone who doesn't jump is with Bush!"

"We are here to show our support of Chavez and our repudiation of Bush and imperialism," said Claudio Hernandez, a Chilean in the crowd. "We are against Bush because of his oil wars and his other policies, which go against the people of the world."

Anti-American and anti-Bush sentiment run high in the countries on Bush's tour, particularly over the war in Iraq and U.S. trade negotiations.

During his first stop in Sao Paulo, Brazil, riot police fired tear gas and clubbed some protesters after more than 6,000 people held a largely peaceful protest march Thursday.

Brazil's streets were calmer Friday, though 150 protesters gathered near Bush's hotel and burned a Bush effigy with a swastika on its shirt and a Hitler mustache penciled on its face.

In Argentina, many still blame Washington for tolerating the country's brutal military regimes of 1976-1983, when thousands of dissidents were tortured and killed. The organizers of Chavez's rally included Mercedes Merono of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, a group still searching for sons and daughters who vanished after being arrested under military rule.

"This counter-rally is extremely important," she said. "Bush seeks to take advantage of Latin America while Chavez supports the region's independence."

Police put down violent protests in Colombia in advance of Bush's visit there, and in Guatemala, Mayan leaders announced that Indian priests will purify the sacred archaeological site of Iximche to eliminate "bad spirits" after Bush visits there Monday.

"That a person like (Bush), with the persecution of our migrant brothers in the United States, with the wars he has provoked, is going to walk in our sacred lands, is an offense for the Mayan people," Guatemalan activist Juan Tiney said.

Bush wraps up his trip next week in Mexico, where a handful of protesters demonstrated Friday outside the U.S. Embassy.

In Sao Paulo, many people were simply bothered by the traffic caused by all the security protecting Bush.

"This is irritating. All the roads are blocked and our clients can't come in," said real estate agent Juliana Figueiredo.

[randalds]

Posted by Lieber1881 at 05:29 AM : Mar 10, 2007

Please do not feed the troll. Thank you.

[bm6005]

Oh, did I mention yet today how I really, really, really, really, really hate Bush II? Alchoholic, draft dodging, silver cocaine spoon in his nose, good ole boy acting, IQ 91 M-I-C?

[bm6005]

When someone like Hugo Chavez goes to all this trouble to smear our President

Written with true reverence for our man in rehab...er, I mean DC! Not soon enough to be Crawford, Texa$$.

[bm6005]

agree with your post. Some people need to be ignored and they go away. THGDRIVER is one of those. Don't give him the press he want's.
Posted by bm6005 at 10:29 AM : Mar 10, 2007

[bm6005]

Hugo Chavez supports a good cause, helping the poor, forgotton, left behind and disenfranchized, on paper anyway!, but where Hugo fails is making enemies and insulting ......
Posted by tbweb

I agree with your post. Some people need to be ignored and they go away. Chavez is one of those. Don't give him the press he want's.

[tbweb]

Hugo Chavez supports a good cause, helping the poor, forgotton, left behind and disenfranchized, on paper anyway!, but where Hugo fails is making enemies and insulting those who could make his task easier! Hugo Chavez is pinning all his hopes and dreams on profits from oil, bad news Hugo, it's short sighted, short term and won't last, you are making too many enemies too fast!!

[mcvet]

The constitution guarantees my right to practice any religion of my choosing. And if I want to be a Christian, then you will just have to shut your pie hole and out up with it. And hey, man, Christians don't have an edge on killing people. Killing people is a human pasttime. And the American Indian killed plenty of whites and other memebers of rival Indian tribes. So really, give me a break.
Posted by sandycat2 at 12:15 AM : Mar 10, 2007

Well SURE! Now that's a great way to unite the People of this nation. Don't like my religion? To hell with you, I'm going to shove it right down your throat and use the Government to do it. Now does anyone wonder what our problem is and were it comes from?

[mcvet]

Funnily enough all of the above are bosom buddies of Jimmy Carter. Goes to show what a bigot, a coward, and a liar the guy really is - and quite probably a traitor who'd richly deserve a drumhead court-martial.

The world would be a better off place with Carter's friends like Chavez, Kim, Mugabe, Bashir and Ahmedinejedad gone - dead in unmarked, unlamented dumps.

But don't forget to spit out your Bush hate, NeoNazis.
Posted by Lieber1881 at 08:45 PM : Mar 09, 2007

I know it's hard for you Fascist to stop hating other American's but maybe you should get a grip on this. We have an enemy out there who use's HATE to motivate people to blow themselves and US up. Got that so far? Good! Now we have a FASCIST Leader who is, without a doubt, the most hated man on the PLANET. Still with me here? Okay. Those two things have NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING to do with Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton or anyone else. You can blame your fellow citizen, your neighbor, all you want and that will change NOTHING. You act like if We, the real American's out here, just stopped telling you about the hatred, WORLD WIDE, for your fuehrer, it won't exist. Doesn't work that way in the real world there Sparky! Sieg Heil.

[mcvet]

Then move to Venezuela. You will be very happy there.

Posted by Jebby_One at 12:57 AM : Mar 10, 2007

Why do you nazi's always want American's you do not agree with to move? You know IF our Radically Liberal Founding Fathers had felt like you, you wouldn't be here. After the King was defeated there was SERIOUS talk about excluding Conservatives from being part of the New Government. You should be thankful that Liberals are better than you! LMAO Want a MORON! LMAO

[mcvet]

EandyBO would be happier in Venezuela. He could share a bed with Chavez, you know his type, the Bush-hating, America-loathing smelly fat pig he is - which Randy is so found of. So is Ex and Skybozo too, for that matter.

And probably our Hamas operative, Karlim, as well.

But do watch out for that sniper, as he might not be so found of fat pigs taking away his freedoms as you bozo fats are...tee hee hee.
Posted by Lieber1881 at 05:29 AM : Mar 10, 2007

Let me see if I understand your small and insignificant little mind here. The REASON Bush is hated in these country's and the reason Chaves is so well liked is because "liberal" American's won't support Sir Lies-A-Lot. LMAO Sparky you aren't even intelligent enough to begin to understand what's going on out there. YOU want the rest of us to HATE each other, to take away the rights of OTHER American's, because the people in Latin America HATE your fuehrer? That's real SMART...that is! LMAO Sieg Heil. Oh! Go to a Doctor NOW!