Sean Penn, Oliver Stone and Michael Moore mourn the loss of Hugo Chavez, their ‘friend’ and ‘hero’
Sean Penn and Oliver Stone, two vocal supporters of controversial Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, released statements following Chavez’s death on Tuesday at the age of 58.
Hugo Chavez in 2005 photo Marcello Casal Jr/ABr
“Today the people of the United States lost a friend it never knew it had. And poor people around the world lost a champion,” Penn said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “I lost a friend I was blessed to have. My thoughts are with the family of President Chavez and the people of Venezuela.”
Penn, who appeared at a December candlelight vigil for the cancer-stricken leader, added, “Venezuela and its revolution will endure under the proven leadership of Vice President Maduro.”
Oliver Stone, who celebrated Chávez’s presidency and the successes of left wing politicians across South America in his 2009 documentary South of the Border, said the Venezuelan leader would be remembered fondly by historians as a champion of the poor. “I mourn a great hero to the majority of his people and those who struggle throughout the world for a place,” he said in a statement. “Hated by the entrenched classes, Hugo Chávez will live forever in history. My friend, rest finally in a peace long earned.”
Michael Moore, who met Chávez at the Venice film festival in 2009 and posted pictures of himself with the president, “You won’t hear much nice about him in the US media in the next few days. So, I thought I’d say a couple things to provide some balance,” Moore wrote.
He then tweeted: “Hugo Chávez declared the oil belonged 2 the ppl. He used the oil $ 2 eliminate 75% of extreme poverty, provide free health & education 4 all. That made him dangerous. US approved of a coup to overthrow him even though he was a democratically-elected president.”
Moore added: “Before they cheeleaded…us into the Iraq War, the US media was busy cheering on the overthrow of Chavez. 54 countries around the world allowed the US to detain(& torture) suspects. Latin America, thanks 2 Chavez, was the only place that said no.”
Of their meeting in Venice, Moore said: “We spoke for over an hour. He said he was happy 2 finally meet someone Bush hated more than him.”
Friday’s march for the fallen dictator by SEIU is the latest in a series of ceremonies to honor the Venezuela leader.
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[…] you slice it and Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro are the vicious architects, despite the praise from Oliver Stone, Sean Penn and Michael Moore not too many years […]
Penn, Stone, Moore…and Chavez. A wonderful group, now if the former three would go and keep the latter company in hell, the world would be a better place.
I can’t think of any reason why the world might need two Venezuela’s. So there’s no real reason why Messrs. Penn, Moore and Stone need waste any more of their time trying to make this country into another one. Pack your bags, Gentlemen!
This clarifies for me why the recent special on the Civil War by Oliver Stone had that socialist spin to it.
And Sean Penn is an embarrassment.
Says the plumb bob of Cockamamie.