Squatters demand rights to ‘English company’ ranch as Chávez launches socialist revolution
On a ragged patch of the sprawling El Charcote ranch, deep in the Venezuelan plains, Humberto Delgado is holding court. “The English are the invaders,” he tells the few dozen landless peasants who have squatted for four years on this land, owned by the British Vestey group. On a nearby fence, a battered banner proclaims: “Mr President – the people of El Charcote need to talk to you.”
It is rare, these days, to come across a part of the globe where machete-wielding peasants campaign for land rights and popular sovereignty to the cry of “English out”. But these are exciting times for peasant firebrands such as Mr Delgado, also known as “Yellowhair”.
This week, the left-wing Venezuelan President, Hugo Chávez, said President George Bush was plotting to assassinate him to put a stop to the socialist “revolution” his government has embarked on. The squatters of El Charcote are in the vanguard of that struggle.
Full Article: independent.co.uk