Just days after urging Venezuelan citizens to denounce each other through a government App, president Nicolás Maduro has declared that TikTok and Instagram "multiply hate" in the country and vowed to regulate both apps though the Security Council.
In a televised speech, Maduro called out both social media apps and said they incite hate among Venezuelans and against his government:
"The main instruments for multiplying hate and fascism, as well as dividing Venezuelans and creating fascist fanatics that attack the police, the military and the Chavista people in their communities are TikTok and Instagram."
Maduro went on to say that the authorities have been busy defeating what he labeled "a criminal cyberfascist coup" before pointing to the fact that there is no "national regulation" in place for social networks in the country and calling on the nation's Defense and Security Council to work on one.
#Venezuela | EN VIDEO | Maduro advierte sobre una necesaria "regulación nacional" de TikTok e Instagram: "Son multiplicadores de odio"
— Caraota Digital (@CaraotaDigital) August 5, 2024
📹 Video: UHN Plus pic.twitter.com/zvMyrf6tNY
At one point during his speech, Maduro also went after Elon Musk, with whom he has had a public feud since the electoral fallout on July 28. Maduro has claimed Musk masterminded a "terrorist attack" on the Venezuelan electoral council that hindered its communications and also said he agreed to fight him. On Sunday, Maduro doubled down, claiming that Musk is part of a satanic cult:
"Look at the diabolic symbols that Elon Musk uses. Look at his profile, diabolic symbols on his chest. He's part of satanic cults created by U.S. powers that have articulated other cults like Milei's in Argentina or here in Venezuela."
Musk responded to Maduro's accusation's by sharing the video along with a caption in Spanish that reads: "Can someone recommend a psychiatrist for Maduro?"
¿Alguien puede recomendar un psiquiatra para Maduro?
— Elon Musk (Spoof) (@ElonMuskD_C) August 5, 2024
🇻🇪#venezuela #venezolanos#VenezuelaLibre#VenezuelaLibreDelDitador#VenezuelaLibreDitadura#VenezuelaSeraLibre #VenezuelaLibreInformere
#Caracas pic.twitter.com/ETmhMsPvIW
According to NGO Foro Penal, which denounces victims of State repression in Venezuela, there have been 1,010 verified arrests since protests began on July 29 against the presidential election results that have been questioned by several countries and entities, ranging from the European Union to the United States to Venezuela's neighboring countries. Another NGO, Monitor de Víctimas, reports 22 fatal victims during that time span.
Condemnation of the election results has also been widespread across the U.S. as Florida politicians across the aisle have blasted the Maduro regime. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also called for the release of "complete and detailed" data for electoral results to be "recognized and respected across the world."
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