Social forum shows diverse visions of left around Latin America

CARACAS, Venezuela — Dramatic differences emerged this week among Latin American leftists at Venezuela's World Social Forum, highlighting the region's diverse views.

About 1,000 marchers paraded through Caracas on Friday to call attention to causes ranging from land reform to anti-globalization. The crowd was dominated by supporters of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, but one small group calling itself Radical Critics held a sign accusing the Venezuelan president and other leaders of not taking a hard-enough stance against corporate capitalism.

Chavez has used a windfall in oil profits to funnel millions of dollars into programs for the poor while extending preferential oil deals to China, Argentina and other countries in an effort to line up alternative trade partners to the United States, the No. 1 buyer of Venezuelan oil.

Some radical leftists argued Chavez's government should stop working with transnational oil companies altogether.

"Real social fighters like us cannot be indifferent," said Maria Aparecida Barros, a 21-year-old Brazilian.

Yorlys Alvarez, a Venezuelan watching from the sidewalk, was visibly irritated by that message.

"It's wrong for them to come here and talk badly about my president," she said. "If they don't like Chavez, they should go home."

Some 70,000 people were signed up for the six-day forum, organizer Moises Lares said.

Many urged the rejection of "neoliberal" economic policy and the U.S. plan for a Free Trade Area of the Americas. Some discussed cooperatives and Soviet-style communism, while others suggested the free market can be fair if guided by a social conscience.

Chavez called capitalism a global scourge on Friday and urged activists to do "battle" against U.S. imperialism. His message drew thundering applause from thousands in attendance, but some said they were more concerned about other issues.

"The forum definitely has a pro-Chavez spin, and I think some of the issues, like women's rights, homosexuality and domestic violence, haven't received enough focus," said Ibrivria Fried, an 18-year-old student from the University of Vermont.

"A lot of people at the forum are careful about how they speak about Chavez because it's being hosted here," she said.

Hundreds held their own alternative forum, accusing the main event of straying from its freethinking leftist roots and serving as a propaganda tool for Chavez's government.

Enzo Tomatis, a 24-year-old Peruvian student activist, said he wholeheartedly supports Chavez's socialist and anti-imperialist ideology, but is uncomfortable with the former paratroop commander's military history.