Hugo Chavez: 'Capitalism needs to go down'

AP Photo/ISNA, Mona Hoobehfekr)
from Breitbart.com
By NASSER KARIMI
Associated Press Writer

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Friday ridiculed the G-20 summit's attempts to deal with the global financial meltdown, saying that capitalism is in crisis and must end.

Chavez criticized the G-20 nations' pledges of more than a trillion dollars for lending to struggling countries at Thursday's summit in London, calling it "the same medicine that's killing the patient—a trillion dollars ... more money for a bottomless pit."

Speaking during a visit to Iran, the Venezuelan leader said the plans by the Group of 20 industrial and developing countries would strengthen "one of the great guilty ones behind the crisis: the International Monetary Fund."

The IMF and the World Bank are "tools of imperialism" and must be eliminated, Chavez said.
In earlier remarks, he also blamed the United States and Britain, calling them "the most guilty" for the financial crisis sweeping the globe because of the financial model "they've been imposing for years."

"It's impossible that capitalism can regulate the monster that is the world financial system, it's impossible," Chavez told Venezuela's state TV late Thursday. "Capitalism needs to go down. It has to end. And we must take a transitional road to a new model that we call socialism."

Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, shared that critique, saying "some decisions by the world leaders cannot restore dead imperialism."

The two leaders, appearing Friday at the inauguration of joint commercial bank, referred to their nations as the "G-2." In recent years, Chavez and Ahmadinejad—both well-known for their anti-U.S. rhetoric—have boosted economic and political ties.

The G-20 leaders on Thursday promised $1.1 trillion for lending to struggling countries. They also vowed major efforts to clean up banks' tattered balance sheets, get credit flowing again, shut down global tax havens and tighten regulation over hedge funds and other financial high-flyers in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Chavez said the summit's efforts were not what the world needs "in the face of the great crisis of global capitalism."

Chavez's own economic program to institute socialism in Venezuela could slow as his country's oil-dependent economy suffers from falling crude prices. Inflation there has soared above 30 percent, eroding Venezuelans' salaries.

In his decade in power, Chavez has boosted state control over the economy and spent heavily on social programs meant to increase his popularity. [sounds like what Obama is doing!]
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Brown and Obama deny G20 splits as protesters scuffle with police

Anti-capitalist protesters scuffled with police outside the Bank of England today as Gordon Brown received a series of world leaders in Downing Street to prepare for tomorrow's G20 summit.

First up was Barack Obama, making his first trip outside North America since his inauguration, The US President and his wife, Michelle, received a rare round of applause from staff at No 10 as they arrived for a breakfast meeting this morning.

Mr Obama's outsized motorcade was just the first in a series of armoured convoys due to pass through the Downing Street gates. The Prime Minister was also holding talks with President Medvedev of Russia, President Hu of China, the Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh and Taro Aso, Prime Minister of Japan.

But the two leaders who most threaten to upset Mr Brown's plans for the G20 are not due at No 10 until this evening when all the G20 heads of state and government meet for a pre-summit dinner.

Mr Sarkozy and Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, have already scuppered UK attempts to have the meeting endorse a massive and coordinated fiscal stimulus. They are now pushing for the summit to make clear progress on tighter regulation of financial markets to replace the "light-touch" Anglo-Saxon model blamed for the current crisis.

Asked on Europe 1 this morning about a Times report that he would be prepared to walk out of the summit if he does not agree with its conclusions, Mr Sarkozy replied: "I will not associate myself with a summit that would end with a communiqué made of false compromises that would not tackle the issues that concern us."

He went on: "As of today, there is no firm agreement in place. The conversation is going forward, there are projects on the table. As things stand at the moment, these projects do not suit France or Germany."

At a joint press conference with Mr Brown, Mr Obama denied that there was any real disagreement on the need for governments to boost their economies, just normal discussions as to how best to do it.

"The truth is that that's just arguing at the margins," he said. "The core notion that government has to take some steps to deal with a contracting market place and to restore growth is not in dispute."

Mr Brown also did his best to laugh off Mr Sarkozy's walk-out threat. "I'm confident that President Sarkozy will be here not just for the first course of our dinner but will still be here when we complete our dinner this evening," he said.

The Metropolitan Police said that around 4,000 protesters had gathered in the City for a protest outside the Bank of England and a "Meltdown Carnival" headlined by the left-wing rock singer Billy Bragg.

Mixing in with them were City workers who had deliberately "dressed down" – on police advice – to avoid being the targets of protesters.

In clear spring sunshine, the protests were initially good-natured, but isolated scuffles soon saw police retreat behind their barriers. By 1pm, the violence was worsening, with police using their batons to push back the crowds.

Even before the protest began, 11 people were arrested as they drove an armoured personnel carrier - painted blue with the words "riot police" in capital letters – towards Bishopsgate. All 11 were arrested for being in possession of police uniforms.

More than 30 forces have provided specialist officers for the days around the summit when there will be unprecedented levels of protests and 40 diplomatic delegations requiring security.

While hopes of a new co-ordinated international stimulus of the world economy have faded, negotiations are proceeding on rules to curb excessive bonuses, control tax havens, extend regulation to hedge funds, introduce greater co-operation between national regulators and draw up fresh mechanisms to stop protectionism.

The summit at the ExCeL centre in Docklands comes as the World Bank said that the global economy would shrink by 1.7 per cent this year and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development predicted a 2.7 per cent contraction, the worst since the Second World War.

But while Mr Brown pointed out that G20 governments had already agreed fiscal stimulus packages totalling more than $2 trillion, Mr Obama warned that the rest of the world could not simply rely on "voracious" American consumers to drive the global recovery.

"If there is to be new growth, it cannot just be the United States as the engine," he said. "Everyone is going to have to pick up the pace."

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G20 Protests turn violent

Protesters break into RBS building

from the Times Online

April 1, 2009

Anti-capitalist protesters are believed to have broken into a branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland in the centre of London today after smashing windows with a volley of missiles.

With police on horseback unable to maintain control and being forced back, a series of windows at the building were broken, graffiti was daubed on the walls and there were reports that some protesters had broken into the branch.

Hundreds of protesters were seen to converge on the bank, on the corner of Threadneedle Street and Bartholomew Lane, as a total of 4,000 demonstrated outside the Bank of England nearby.

As police on horseback and in riot gear proved unable to protect the building, which was thought to be empty, officers with dogs charged at the crowd in an attempt to force them back. The crowd were heard to chant: "Shame on you" as officers drove them away from the door.

With the demonstrations - carried out by a combination of anarchists, anti-war protesters, environmentalists and others - rapidly heating up, Scotland Yard said cordons had been put up all around the surrounding area in response to "increasing levels of violence". The marchers had made their way to the bank using four different routes - from Moorgate, Cannon Street, Liverpool Street and London Bridge.

A Met Police spokesman said: "There have been a number of missiles thrown at officers and a number of surges at the police cordons, and increasing levels of violence towards police. Cordons have been put in place to maintain safety and control the crowd."

Police confirmed earlier that 11 people had been arrested for impersonating police officers as they travelled towards Bishopsgate in uniform in a fake armoured personnel carrier.

Their vehicle was escorted to Wapping, in east London, where it was taken off the road and later driven away by a police officer.

Speaking to The Times as the van was being driven away, a protester calling himself Greenman said he organised the stunt along with other members of a group calling itself Spacehijackers.

He said it was designed to highlight how Britain was increasingly becoming a police state.

"Terrorism laws are always encroaching on our freedoms and discouraging dissent," he said.

At the Bank of England, marchers confronted police standing on the building's steps. Several police helmets were grabbed and thrown in the air as dozens of protesters surged forward and forced officers to retreat on to higher plinths at the base of the building.

A red smoke canister was set off, leaving at least one officer covered in bright red powder.

One senior officer was overheard telling colleagues to watch out for people with paint spray cans attempting to write on their backs. Many protesters were dressed colourfully, and claimed that they represented a host of causes.

Among them were campaigners from War on Want, who carried a giant toy canary on a stretcher after setting off from Moorgate station for the Bank of England. Attached to the makeshift stretcher was a placard which read "RIP Canary Wharf 1990-2009". It also listed banks including RBS, HSBC, NatWest, Abbey and LloydsTSB.

Many of the protesters chanted as they walked towards the Bank of England. Chants included "Revolution" and "Palestine will be free".

Other demonstrators, carrying placards such as "Bring on decent decision making" and "0% interest in others", then began to make their way to the Bank of England.

Several individuals, some wearing masks and hoods to cover their faces, were involved in minor scuffles with officers as they were shepherded onwards.

Among those spotted among the crowd was the comedian Russell Brand, who said he was accompanying the marchers because he was interested to see why the protest was taking place.

As the demonstrations kicked into gear, many City workers reported for duty dressed down or in jeans, attempting to avoid any trouble

Jeremy Batstone-Carr, head of research at stockbrokers Charles Stanley, based in the heart of the City, said they were "preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best".

His firm has extra security on the door, while workers were "aggressively" dressed down.

"It’s a strange atmosphere around the City and everyone seems somewhat apprehensive - everyone that should be in the office is in, but we’re not taking any chances," he said.

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G20 Protesters - David vs Goliath - Capitalism vs Socialism

Brave dissenters at the G20 anti-capitalist orgy
By Michelle Malkin
March 31, 2009

This is heartening: A small band of rational students is standing up to the G20 anarchist mob in defense of free markets.
Godspeed!


Capitalist-David rally versus Goliath-protests for Socialism
by Michelle Minton
March 31, 2009

During the G20 summit something like 40,000 plus protesters slated to descend upon London. Of that number, there is a small but growing and prodigiously brave group of idealists planning to throw their message and bodies into the breach. They are not there to demand government action against climate change, stricter business regulations, nor are they requesting money for the poor, hungry, or infirm. Their message is simple, but profound: Get out of our way.

This small band, comprised mostly of university students and recent graduates wants only to communicate the message to the world that capitalism is not to blame for the current economic crisis. In fact, they want people to know that interventionist policies are what got us into the mess in the first place and increased state intervention is unacceptable.

“The point must be made, essentially, that we do not live in a Capitalist system and certainly not a Laissez-Faire Capitalist system. The sectors of the economy that failed were the most regulated sectors of a ‘mixed-economy’,” said Rory Hodgson, University of York student and protest organizer.

Perhaps because those still in university and recent graduates have the most to lose that they are willing to risk physical harm in order to oppose the ever-tightening choke-hold the government has on the economy. But we should all be as worried about the future and willing to fight the increasing anti-capitalist sentiment and the vulnerability of individual liberty.
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5 arrested in G20 'bomb plot'

Well, it appears the G20 rioters are well organized. They've got fancy posters and even a web site. Do these professional rioters have their own union to protect them from unsafe rioting conditions? Just curious.

I'll bet our rioters from back in the 60's are sitting in their rocking chairs right now, and shaking their heads about how things could have been, if only...

Rees

Five activists arrested in G20 'bomb plot' as London goes into lockdown for world leaders

By Stephen Wright and Luke Salkeld

from the MailOnline.com

31st March 2009

Five people were arrested under anti-terror laws yesterday after an imitation Kalashnikov rifle and other weapons were seized by police investigating a possible plot to cause havoc at the G20 summit.

Three men aged 25, 19 and 16 and two women of 20, were held after the eldest man was seen allegedly spraying graffiti in Plymouth. [maybe he ran out of printer paper for his riot posters]

In searches of several homes, officers found a range of imitation and deactivated firearms from handguns to hunting rifles and a Kalashnikov-style assault rifle.

They also found 'improvised explosives made of fireworks'.

Detectives are investigating the possibility that the group were planning to mount protests in London against the G20 summit.

Assistant Chief Constable Paul Netherton said 'politically sensitive material' had been found.

Sources said the suspects were not linked to any religious group. All five were being held under the Terrorism Act.

The arrests were made after the 25-year-old man was held in Plymouth on Friday evening, for allegedly spraying graffiti on a wall, and his home was searched.

Mr Netherton said the operation had no connection to Nicky Reilly, 22, the Muslim convert from Plymouth who was jailed for 18 years earlier this year for an attempted nail bomb attack on an Exeter restaurant.

In London, Scotland Yard said the Metropolitan Police was liaising with the Devon and Cornwall force but the investigation was at a very early stage.

The spokesman added that police were seeing 'an unprecedented level of activity amongst protest groups not seen since the late 1990s, involving some individuals we have not seen on the protest circuit for some time'.

Organisers of a planned protest in the City of London tomorrow are to meet Scotland Yard officers today to discuss their concerns over how it will be policed.

Activists from the Climate Camp said they had been trying to open communication following 'increasingly sensational police predictions' of violence. The group said it was concerned it was the victim of a 'smear campaign' ahead of the demonstration.

More than 3,000 police officers will be on duty during the summit period, with up to 100,000 protesters expected to stage rallies and marches. Police estimate the cost of the security operation at £8 million - the largest in UK history. A huge cordon will be thrown around the Excel centre in London's Docklands, the headquarters of the summit. A ring of steel will also be constructed to keep protesters away from the U.S. embassy in central London.

Senior officers fear a repeat of the violent anti-capitalist and MayDay protests of 1999 and 2000. Shops and other businesses were damaged and dozens of arrests made.

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G 20 Riots - You Must See This Info!

You Must Go To Michelle Malkin.com to look at all the posters and then read the rest of the article. It's really eye opening material.
Rees

The coming G20 riots & the spread of mob rule
By Michelle Malkin

March 27, 2009

My syndicated column today continues the theme I blogged about two days ago in the “Rule of the Mob” post. Keep an eye on next week’s G20 summit in London. Thousands of anti-capitalism zealots will be amassing there to intimidate and harass bankers. The vandalizing of the Scottish ex-banking executive’s home in Edinburgh is just a prelude. The protests are slated to start tomorrow and last all week; President Obama leaves for the summit on Tuesday. The images above are graphics and posters being disseminated online by protest organizers.

The anarchists are reportedly using Google Streetview and Twitter to organize riots, hang businessmen in effigy at the behest of a university professor known as “Mr. Mayhem,” call for guillotining bank execs, and — get this — target London firms that fail to turn off their lights to commemorate that moronic “Earth Hour” event I wrote about earlier this week. If shops don’t worship at the altar of environmentalism, they will be broken into:

Sir Paul Stephenson said ‘old faces’ from British protest groups - thought to be behind earlier anti-globalisation riots - were also expected in London. Activists have dubbed April 1 Financial Fools Day and are planning to march on the Bank of England, the European Climate Exchange in Bishopsgate and the U.S. embassy. At least 2,000 demonstrators are expected. The first demonstration in London will come tomorrow with ‘Earth Hour’ - targeting City firms that fail to turn off their lights by 8.30pm. Organisers say every office block in London with lights on will be fair game and have warned that they are prepared to break in and put the lights out themselves. The protest group Climate Camp has already released a map of potential targets in the City for its demonstration on April 1, including the Royal Bank of Scotland, carbon offset and trading companies and ‘green-washing’ PR firms.

Think this madness couldn’t happen here? Think again.

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EU presidency: US economic plans 'a road to hell'

Dear Obama,

They really don't like your bogus plan to rescue the American Economy and the impact it will have on the Global Economy. I hope you have an wonderful time at the G-20 Summit.
Rees

By RAF CASERT
Associated Press Writer
March 25, 2009

STRASBOURG, France – The president of the European Union slammed President Barack Obama's plans to have the U.S. spend its way out of recession as "a road to hell," underscoring European differences with Washington ahead of a crucial summit next week on fixing the world economy.

Other European politicians kept their distance from the blunt remarks by Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, with some reproaching the Czech leader for his strong language and others reaffirming their good diplomatic ties with the U.S.

Topolanek, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, told the European Parliament on Wednesday that Obama's massive stimulus package and banking bailout "will undermine the liquidity of the global financial market."

European governments, led by France and Germany, say the focus should be on tighter financial regulation, while the U.S. is pushing for larger economic stimulus plans — but nobody has so far escalated the rhetoric to such strident levels.

Topolanek's remarks are the strongest criticism so far from a European leader as the 27-nation bloc sticks to its position that its member countries are already spending enough to stimulate demand.

The remark highlights the difficulties leaders may face coming up with a common approach at the April 2 summit in London among leaders of the Group of 20 industrialized and leading developing countries.
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Mervyn King warns Gordon Brown to stop spending - Can someone please communicate this same message to Obama?

from the Timesonline.com
March 25, 2009

The Governor of the Bank of England laid bare tensions between Gordon Brown and the Treasury yesterday by warning that Britain could not afford a second economic stimulus in the Budget.

Mervyn King threw caution to the wind as he sided with Alistair Darling and the CBI against Downing Street in raising strong doubts over any prospect of another round of “significant fiscal expansion” next month.

Mr King spoke as the Prime Minister, beginning an international tour to co-ordinate measures for next week’s G20 gathering in London, called on leaders to do “whatever it takes to create growth and the jobs we need”.

President Obama, Mr Brown’s main stimulus ally, writes in the same vein in The Times today, saying that America is ready to lead the world out of recession, while calling for swift and robust action to stimulate growth “until growth is restored”.
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Intelligence services have embarked on a crash program to secure the G-20 summit

photo of Mumbai Taj Hotel

World agencies gearing up to thwart upgraded Islamist terror

DEBKAfile Special Analysis
March 21, 2009

Using novel, upgraded tactics, Al Qaeda and fellow Islamist terror groups are outperforming anti-terror agencies in their attacks on targeted countries. International counter-terror agencies are worried enough to start retooling their counter-measures after viewing terrorist performances in Mumbai on Nov. 2008, killing 172 people, Lahore on March 3, causing 8 fatalities, and the Jordan Valley, shooting dead 2 Israeli policemen.
India, for instance, is overhauling its special forces from top to bottom and preparing to launch the world's first anti-terror satellite RISAT 2 on short-order delivery from Israel.

British intelligence and anti-terror services have embarked on a crash program to secure the G-20 summit opening in London on April 2,fearing the posh hotels hosting the leaders and their retinues are designated for a Mumbai-style massacre.

Western terror experts have detected common traits in the recent spate of attacks:

1. Preparation and execution straddle several countries as attested to by the highly-polished, coordinated attacks in separate places – India, Pakistan, Jordan and Israel.

2. Select jihadis are extensively trained to operate in large teams, using elite tactics and skills superior to existing combat techniques practiced by the special operations units of regular armies and security service SWAT teams in the targeted countries.

3. They may undergo training for as long as six months, a testament to the kind of long-term operational planning which is beyond the capabilities of most local law and order services – even in high-profile centers like Mumbai, London, Tel Aviv or Paris.

4. Al Qaeda and its ilk are now going in for large-scale attacks carried out by small armies of terrorists trained to operate in fully compartmentalized conditions.

The ten gunmen who carried out the Mumbai atrocity had support teams of hundreds deployed in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kashmir and other parts of India.

The Lahore attack was perpetrated by 14 men.
Both teams operated like well-oiled machines on terrain which they had studied thoroughly.

5. The new terrorists are trained to carry large quantities of ammo, transportable missiles, grenades, rockets and explosives.

This enables them
- to maximize the lethality of their mission;
- to commandeer targeted sites at top speed. In Mumbai, they swiftly seized three large hotels, a main train terminus and the Habad Center;
- to outgun the local security forces in the first moments of the attack. In Mumbai, the local forces took two days to rally and muster enough firepower to suppress the attack. In Lahore, the terrorists effectively silenced Pakistani security personnel for long enough for them all to escape without a scratch.

6. Islamist terrorists have learned to operate long distance, preparing assault teams in one country to hit another and moving them in fast, even taking over ships, planes, vehicles or trains.

As much effort and resources are invested in transport as in other facets of an operation. The Mumbai assailants were smuggled in from Pakistan; for Lahore, they came from the Pakistan-Afghan border region; for the Jordan Valley, they stole in from the Hashemite Kingdom.

In that last attack, it is now estimated that 5 or 6 gunmen, members of al Qaeda, took part.

The highly-enhanced tactics now employed by Islamist terrorist organizations are being met with improved counter-measures by potentially vulnerable countries.

The Israeli spy satellite acquired by India in an extra-fast transaction is capable of day-and-night viewing and all-weather imaging, which enables Indian forces to keep track of terrorist movements through the low-cloud cover prevailing in the monsoon season. India is the first country in the world to acquire a surveillance satellite tailored specifically to counter terror.

The British authorities are in high gear for securing the G-20 summit to be kicked off on April 1 by the first face-to-face encounter between US president Barack Obama and Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.

They are also preparing for the 2012 London Olympics.

The London Daily Telegraph reports that British security services officials are judging the threat against the UK to be at the "severe end of severe." Previously focused on preventing bombings, they are most concerned since the Mumbai massacre about attacks using automatic weapons on major hotels and public buildings.

They are considering issuing guidance to the managements of places where people gather in large numbers and are watching for small arms being smuggled in to the UK through ports or remote airfields.

Cagey about their preventive tactics, British officials are working to the slogan of the four "Ps – Prevent, Pursue, Protect and Prepare."
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