President Hugo Chavez threatened to revoke the broadcasting licences of Venezuela's main TV and radio stations today after accusing them of supporting opposition efforts to overthrow him through a six-week-old strike.
Mr Chavez said last night the stations were abusing their power by constantly broadcasting opposition advertisements promoting the strike, which has dried up vital oil revenue.
Venezuela's main television stations have not broadcast any commercials during the strike except the opposition ads. Media owners say they adopted that stance because Mr Chavez incites his supporters to attack reporters.
"They are worse than an atomic bomb," Mr Chavez said during his weekly radio and television show on Sunday. "If they continue to use their licences to try to break the country or oust the government, I would be obligated to revoke it".
He spoke as tens of thousands of his opponents marched on Los Proceres park outside the Fort Tiuna military base in Caracas, seeking military support for the strike.
Troops lobbed tear gas at the protesters but they quickly regrouped, shouting "cowards" at hundreds of soldiers facing them with armoured personnel carriers. Soldiers also kept back dozens of Mr Chavez supporters protesting nearby.The military - purged of dissidents after a brief April coup - has supported Mr Chavez during the strike, with troops seizing oil tankers, commandeering trucks and locking striking workers out of oil installations. Top commanders have stated their loyalty to the government.