Venezuelan Protesters Behead Hugo Chávez Statue  · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

This photo of a statute of the late president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, has rapidly gone around the world since it was tweeted last week:
En Táchira tumbaron el MONUMENTO del Difunto ASESINO y lo decapitaron. PSUV TEMBLAD te llego la hora. #26FMegaTranca pic.twitter.com/4eSOhs4QWG
— Christopher Bello R. (@Ethical_Group) February 26, 2014
In Táchira, they tore down a MONUMENT of the deceased ASSASSIN and they beheaded it. Fear PSUV (United Socialist Party of Venezuela) for your time has come.
The image has been copied and retweeted hundreds of times, causing all sorts of reactions. Here's one from a government supporter:
Decapitado por fascistas monumento de Comandante Presidente Chávez en Táchira.Siguiendo guión de golpe a lo ucraniano pic.twitter.com/M9Aw9IOEfN
— itobé (@itobesur) February 26, 2014
Beheaded by fascists, the monument to the President Commander Chávez in Táchira. Following a Ukranian-style coup by the book.
Soon the image made it to the mainstream media, which informed [es] that the beheading happened during protests in San Antonio del Táchira. It was also reported that the statue was destroyed [es] afterwards.
Let's remember that Táchira, a Venezuelan border state with Colombia, was the birthplace [es] of the student protests against Nicolás Maduro's government, who ordered the deployment of the army [es] in the zone. The “gochos”, as the locals are known, have been the subject of many memes created by Venezuelan netizens due to their participation in the protests.
Here's another picture of the same scene:
CHAVEZ DECAPITADO!!! pic.twitter.com/YJj53nzCAo
— ALEXANDER MIRELES (@alexandermirele) February 26, 2014
CHAVEZ BEHEADED!!!