They repudiate terrorist acts against Venezuelan cultural heritage

From the Institute of Cultural Heritage, an entity attached to the Ministry of Popular Power for Culture of Venezuela, they published a statement where they rejected all fascist acts carried out against the Venezuelan Cultural Heritage, promoted by the former candidate of the extreme right, Edmundo González in company of the disqualified María C Machado, who called for vandalizing the country after not being favored with the popular vote in the presidential election last June 28.

Here is the full text:

The Institute of Cultural Heritage, an entity attached to the Ministry of Popular Power for Culture of Venezuela, within the scope of the powers conferred in the Law for the Protection and Defense of Cultural Heritage and its Regulations, the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and others legal instruments for the defense of whatever requires cultural, material and spiritual protection, totally and emphatically repudiates any damage to the cultural heritage of the nation, by virtue of the events that occurred in the national territory, specifically in: Falcón, Barinas, Capital District, Trujillo, La Guaira, Guárico, Miranda, Portuguesa, Lara and Anzoátegui.

#Attention | The Institute of Cultural Heritage repudiates the fascist acts carried out against the Venezuelan Cultural Heritage and urges us to safeguard and protect each element that gives a sense of identity, as it is part of our history and national pride. pic.twitter.com/tWovavYQtW

– Ministry of Popular Power for Culture (@minculturave) July 30, 2024

The destruction of monuments, burning of infrastructure and other damage to symbols that constitute important references in the imagination of our people, as a supposed way of expressing discontent, is clearly totally disproportionate, since it not only impacts their material damage but also affects to the community in general by exhibiting fascist, vandalism and destruction of heritage and therefore of our cultural identity that we know are unfounded from other latitudes.

In this sense, we have observed with bewilderment how small exalted groups have attacked emblematic heritage sites for all Venezuelans, such as: The Central University of Venezuela, a World Heritage Site since 2000, Caracas. Mayor’s Office of Sailing in Coro, Falcón, World Heritage Site 1993. Museum of the Llanos, Barinas, Asset of Cultural Interest. Esfera de Soto, Chacao, Asset of Cultural Interest 2005.

Mayor’s Office of Quíbor, Lara, asset of Cultural Interest 2005. Different sculptures of Commander Hugo Chávez, located in the national territory. For the Cultural Heritage Institute, each of the destruction carried out on public assets, whether heritage or not, is unacceptable, and it requires the Venezuelan people to watch over, safeguard and protect the historical memory of the country, which is our only and inalienable collective and personal legacy.

Bolivarian Government Ministry of Popular Power of Venezuela. In Caracas, on the 30th day of July 2024.