No doubt the 200 protesters who formed a human chain in Copley Square recently would agree. Conditions have continued to deteriorate in Venezuela, which leads the world in inflation — 56 percent in January — and suffers from growing poverty and crime. It faces major shortages despite being the major oil producer in Latin America.
Under these conditions, protests are only natural. But the new and insecure president clamped down, not only leading to deaths but also to a broad ban on political protests and the imprisonment of dozens of opposition leaders, including the leading one, Leopoldo Lopez.
To his credit, President Obama condemned the killing of protesters, but a more concerted diplomatic effort is in order that would include not only the United States but also Venezuela’s Latin American neighbors. It wasn’t long ago that Venezuela had a growing economy and a prospering middle class. Now the country is in shambles, and passive disapproval is no longer an acceptable stance.