| Bolivarian Circles | |
|---|---|
| Círculos bolivarianos | |
| Foundation | 21 December 2001; 23 years ago (2001-12-21) |
| Dissolved | 10 April 2006; 19 years ago (2006-04-10)(domestic circles) |
| Headquarters | Miraflores Palace,Caracas, Venezuela[1] |
| Size | 2.2 million (2003)[2] |
Preceded by MBR-200 | |
TheBolivarian Circles (Spanish:Círculos bolivarianos) are political and social organizations ofworkers' councils inVenezuela, originally created by PresidentHugo Chávez on 21 December 2001.[3] The circles have also been described asmilitias and compared to Cuba'sCommittees for the Defense of the Revolution[4][5][6] and Panama'sDignity Battalions.[7]
Following the involvement of Bolivarian Circles in defending President Chávez during the2002 Venezuelan coup d'état attempt, the government sponsored the creation of officialcommunal councils on 10 April 2006,[8] some of which became armedcolectivos instead.[9]
In April 2001, President Hugo Chávez tasked then-Vice PresidentDiosdado Cabello andMiguel Rodríguez Torres to create and finance community organizations that would share local interests to Chávez so his government could lend resources and gain political support.[2][6][10] Such support from the government made Chávez's opponents skeptical of any claims ofautonomy.[6] They are named in honor ofSimón Bolívar, the leader who transformed most of South America from Spanishcolonial outposts to the independent states now in place.[11]
The circles were created as state-sanctioned groups that were to be the "principle organizing unit of popular power" and were announced by Chávez as "a great human network" that was created to defend the Bolivarian Revolution.[5] Some circles were modeled after theDignity Battalions that were created byOmar Torrijos andManuel Noriega in Panama since Chávez admired the model when stationed there during his military career.[7] The founding documents of Venezuela's Bolivarian Circles state that "the Supreme leader of Bolivarian Circles will be thePresident of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela" and that "the national and international headquarters for the registration of Bolivarian Circles will be thePalace of Miraflores".[1]
Some Bolivarian Circles were given combat training and weapons, with some of their leaders being trained in Cuba.[7] According toLina Ron, a Chávez supporter and head of her own Bolivarian Circle, La Piedrita,[10][12] thousands of circles deeply loyal to Chávez were "armed to the teeth".[4] Chávez denied allegations of funding and the circles use of weapons.[4]
In January 2002, Bolivarian Circles were reported to have blocked the entrance of the newspaper officeEl Nacional for over an hour. Numerous journalists have been threatened, berated, and abused physically and verbally, particularly by people that identified with the Bolivarian Circles.[citation needed]
Bolivarian Circles also took part in demonstrations that became violent against the2002 coup attempt.[11] Shortly after the coup attempt in a May 2002 cable from the US Embassy in Caracas, there were concerned reports of members of Bolivarian Circles receiving new motorcycles,Nike brand clothing and that members of the Bolivarian Circles became armed, causing panic in neighborhoods.[13] Numbers of Bolivarian Circles also increased significantly that month according to Diosdado Cabello, with number rising from 80,000 to 130,000.[14]
On 7 November 2007, masked gunmen riding motorcycles opened fire on students returning from a march in Caracas. At theCentral University of Venezuela, eight people were injured, including one by gunfire.[15][16]
According toprivate intelligence agency companyStratfor, Bolivarian Circles were also the parent organization ofcolectivos in Venezuela.[10]
