Violent Demonstrations in Venezuela

Student demonstrators clashed with police and pro-Chavez thugs over [T]hugo's proposals to alter the constitution and increase his power.

Demonstrations by thousands of Venezuelan students against planned changes to the constitution turned violent when they clashed with small groups of pro-Hugo Chavez supporters. Anti-riot police then moved in with tear gas. The president's proposals will be put to a referendum in December. He plans to cut the limits on the number of times someone can stand as head of state and to allow security forces to detain people without charges during so-called political emergencies.

This protester said: "We are marching against constitutional reform. There are too many articles that we do not agree with, especially the article that says nobody has the right to study what they want and instead everyone has to study what is convenient for the country at that time."

Put simply, he's increasing his own power - for the sake of Venezuela as he puts it, limits the power of those that might rise up through the ranks of politics to challenge him, limits individual choice to determine what kind of education an individual can engage in, and generally puts a rubber stamp on his own brand of socialism that's he is looking to implement.