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Venezuelan Protesters Behead Hugo Chávez Statue

Categories: Latin America, Venezuela, Breaking News, Citizen Media, Protest

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:

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:

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 [6] [es] that the beheading happened during protests in San Antonio del Táchira. It was also reported that the statue was destroyed [7] [es] afterwards.

Let's remember that Táchira [8], a Venezuelan border state with Colombia, was the birthplace [9] [es] of the student protests [10] against Nicolás Maduro's government, who ordered the deployment of the army [11] [es] in the zone. The “gochos”, as the locals are known, have been the subject of many memes [12] created by Venezuelan netizens due to their participation in the protests.

Here's another picture of the same scene:

CHAVEZ BEHEADED!!!