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Guarimba

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A barricade built by protesters blocking a street in Caracas, 2014

The guarimba is a protest method of erecting street barricades that has been used in Venezuela against the governments of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro.[1][2]

Etymology

Origins of guarimba are from the children's game of the same name that is similar to tag, where individuals jump from one circle to the other while avoiding being captured by someone.[2]

History

Origin

The guarimba tactic was created by Cuban exile Roberto Alonso, a member of the Cuban dissident movement, head of the Venezuelan opposition group Bloque Democrático and brother to María Conchita Alonso.[2][3] Origins of the term guarimba are traced to the children's game of the same name.[2] Alonso said he created the method after reading From Dictatorship to Democracy by Gene Sharp following the failed 2002 Venezuelan coup attempt while creating plans on how to remove president Hugo Chávez from office.[2] With an email list of about two million individuals, he sent an essay in May 2003 saying "EVERYONE head out into the streets IN FRONT OF OUR HOMES and remain there.... La Guarimba is total anarchy. Everyone does what they want, depending on their level of frustration."[2]

Daktari Ranch affair

Main article: Daktari Ranch affair

During protests following allegations of fraudulent signature collections by the National Electoral Council prior to the 2004 Venezuelan recall referendum, Venezuelan opposition protesters first used guarimba tactics.[1][2] Alonso said that he and an opposition leader launched guarimba protests on 5 March 2004 and planned to have a military coup on 7 March.[2] In late February 2004, thousands of opposition protesters blocked Caracas neighborhoods and clashed with authorities.[2] Negotiations between the opposition and government agreeing on signatures led to the end of the guarimba protests.[2] Months later in May 2004, Alonso's Daktari Ranch was raided and hundreds of Colombian paramilitaries were arrested in relation to an alleged plot to overthrow the Chávez government.[2][4] According to the Washington Office on Latin America, the use of the guarimba in 2004 resulted with the opposition losing popularity.[5][non-primary source needed][unbalanced opinion?]

2014 protests

Main article: 2014 Venezuelan protests
A wall painting in Caracas criticizing "guarimbas", 2014

Throughout the protests, a common tactic that has divided opinions among Venezuelans and the anti-government opposition has been erecting street barricades, colloquially known as guarimbas. Initially, these barricades consisted of piles of trash and cardboard set on fire at night, and were easily removed by Venezuelan security forces. Guarimbas have since evolved into "fortress-like structures" of bricks, mattresses, wooden planks and barbed wire guarded by protesters, who "have to resort to guerrilla-style tactics to get a response from the government of President Nicolas Maduro". However, their use was controversial. Critics claim guarimbas, which are primarily erected in residential areas, victimize local residents and businesses and have little political impact.[6] President Maduro and poor sectors in some cities criticized barricades, with Maduro denouncing that “thousands of people are affected by a small group of ten or twenty persons”, and that “some of them don’t have access to health care, including children and elders”,[7] although many opposition protesters argue that guarimbas are also used as a protection against armed groups, and not only as a form of protest.[8]

Protesters have used homemade caltrops made of hose pieces and nails, colloquially known in Spanish as “miguelitos” or "chinas", to deflate motorbike tires.[9][10] The government has also condemned their usage.[11][12] Demonstrators have cited videos of protests in Ukraine and Egypt as inspiration for their tactics in defending barricades and repelling government forces, such as using common items such as beer bottles, metal tubing, and gasoline to construct fire bombs and mortars, while using bottles filled with paint to block the views of tank and armored riot vehicle drivers. Common protective gear for protesters include motorcycle helmets, construction dust masks, and gloves.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Capturan "paramilitares" en Venezuela". BBC News. 9 May 2004. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Zeitlin, Janine (11 October 2007). "War on Hugo Chávez". Miami New Times. Archived from the original on 20 July 2008.
  3. ^ "Dirigente opositor radical denuncia allanamiento de su residencia en Venezuela". El Universo (in Spanish). 2004-05-17. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  4. ^ Dominguez, Francisco (2011). "Chapter 7 - Venezuela's opposition: desperately seeking to overthrow Chávez". Right-Wing Politics in the New Latin America: Reaction and Revolt. Zed Books. ISBN 9781848138148.
  5. ^ "Q & A on Venezuela's Electoral Stalemate". Washington Office on Latin America. 15 April 2013. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  6. ^ "Street blockades divide opinion in Venezuela". BBC News. 27 February 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  7. ^ "A la pregunta sobre si la motivación de las guarimbas es “protestar por unos problemas”, o sacar a Maduro del poder, 36,9% cree que lo hacen como protesta, pero 63,1% dijo que tienen como objetivo sacar del poder a Maduro. El porcentaje más alto (78,7%) corresponde a los más pobres, de las clases D y E. Como ven, en esos estratos socioeconómicos hay mayor conciencia de los verdaderos fines de la red de guarimbas, donde los niveles de rechazo son más altos." "Repudio a las guarimbas" at Ultimas Noticias Archived 2 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "noticiascentro.com". Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  9. ^ Hallan “miguelitos” y clavos en barricadas de Ciudad Ojeda: FOTOS+VIDEO Archived 13 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ "Guarimbas con miguelitos y chinas: el idioma de las protestas venezolanas- América Latina- Reuters". Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  11. ^ Guarimberos en Altamira ponen alambres,aporrea tvi, feberero 2014. 22 February 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2016 – via YouTube.
  12. ^ "Presidente Maduro presenta vídeo donde se observa a grupos violentos preparando guarimbas - Noticias Diarias". Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  13. ^ Neuman, William (26 February 2014). "Crude Weapons Help Fuel Unrest in Bastion of Venezuelan Opposition". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
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