May 30, 2005
Tens of thousands of Venezuelans marched backing President Chávez

(The Times) - "Tens of thousands of Venezuelans backing President Chávez marched through Caracas, the capital, on May 28, demanding that the United States extradite a Cuban militant wanted for his alleged role in the 1976 bombing of a Cuban aircraft.

Waving Venezuelan flags and dancing to songs celebrating Señor Chávez's rule broadcast over loudspeakers mounted on flatbed lorries, the President's supporters accused President Bush of harbouring Luis Posada Carriles, the terror suspect, and of a double standard in dealing with terrorists.

'Bush is protecting a terrorist while he is supposedly fighting against terrorism, that's hypocrisy,' said Pedro Caldera, 34, who works at a government-organised farming project in a Caracas suburb.

The march, which was sponsored by President Chávez's Government, came a day after American authorities rejected Venezuela's request for the arrest of Señor Posada as an initial step toward his eventual extradition.

Venezuela wants to try Señor Posada, a former CIA operative, on murder charges for the bombing of a Cubana Airlines aircraft that exploded after taking off from Barbados, killing 73 people. Señor Posada is accused of plotting the attack while in Caracas and escaping from a Venezuelan prison in 1985 as prosecutors were preparing to appeal his acquittal.

The 77-year-old naturalised Venezuelan, who is a radical opponent of President Castro of Cuba, has denied any link to the bombing (...)".