ex·pro·pri·a·tion
/ˌeksˌprōprēˈāSHən,ikˌsprōprēˈāSHən/
noun
the action by the state or an authority of taking property from its owner for public use or benefit.
¡EXPRÓPIESE! ASÍ EXPROPIABA CHÁVEZ | EXPEDIENTES DEL CHAVISMO #PastillasDeMemoria
Below is a clear, readable English translation of the Spanish transcript you pasted.
I’ve aimed for faithful meaning over word-for-word literalism, while preserving tone, rhetoric, and loaded language. Where the speaker is clearly editorializing or mocking, that comes through in English as well.
[Venezuelan Dictator Hugo Chavez:]
I propose
expropriation of those businesses.
Expropriation.
And I don’t want us to lose a single more day.
Expropriation— that bank that’s complaining,
send it to Miraflores so I can expropriate it.
To expropriate it.
[Video Commentary:]
Property, freedom, and respect for each person’s life project
should be inalienable rights of all human beings
from the moment of birth.
Unfortunately, from time to time some sociopath
comes to power in a country
with the intention of destroying these pillars
that generate wealth and prosperity for its people.
Today we will remember how the “Galactic Mortadella,”
shouting “Expropriate!” and “Come to me, I’ve got flowers,”
applied the same recipe used by Castro in Cuba,
ending up destroying the country with the greatest wealth in the Americas.
“Well, but be careful what you answer me.
You know why?
Because you’re telling me the bank is not for sale,
but I can expropriate it immediately if I want to.
And this building—
private jewelry business—
expropriate it.”
Share this video with your foreign friends
who still defend the Left in their countries,
because the criminal expropriations of Chavismo
are the clearest proof of how communism, socialism,
and all their variants completely destroy
a country’s productive apparatus,
sink its economy, break its laws,
weaken its institutions,
and plunge its people into absolute misery.
Welcome to a new episode of Memory Pills.
Today: “Expropriate!” — the intentional bankruptcy of a country.
El Aissami is among the most wanted targets of the United States,
accused of drug trafficking.
Raúl Gorrín has been accused of money laundering and corruption
for being part of a protected and excused network.
Alex Saab, alleged front man for the president of Venezuela.
“I’m happy to be in the Bolivarian revolution,
because we know this is our personal revenge
for that dark period.”
One of the most powerful people in Venezuela:
Cilia Flores, the country’s First Lady,
who was sanctioned this week.
“Cabello is a bandit.
He’s a rat.
He’s the head of the Cartel of the Suns.
He’s trafficked cocaine to Europe and the United States.
He tries to buy us as if we were mercenaries.”
The International Criminal Court in The Hague
opened a preliminary investigation in 2018
for the actions of law-enforcement forces
in suppressing protests.
March 5 — Commander President
Hugo Chávez has died.
The “Galactic Mortadella,” like every communist,
invoked the supposed class struggle—
that is, changing his own economic class
and that of his associates—
since implementing this model progressively destroyed
Venezuela’s entire productive system.
“And if Coca-Cola
doesn’t want to comply
with the Constitution and the laws,
well, one can live without Coca-Cola.
Coca-Cola isn’t essential.”
[Applause]
“Who said you need Coca-Cola to live?
Sugar-cane juice is very good.
Guava juice— I had a glass today.”
Today we’ll see some examples
of how this malevolent tyrant expropriated everything:
petrochemical plants, hotels, farms, houses, and small businesses
were obliterated by the dictator.
“And it was published in the gazette.
Over there on Margarita Island—
the Margarita Hilton—
it’s taken over, it’s expropriated.
Because part of the shares belonged to the State— a minority share.
So to hold a summit like the Africa summit,
we had to ask permission, security, everything.
And it turns out the owners—
I won’t name them, because I won’t speak personally about anyone,
I respect all human beings—
but the owners,
I’m sure most of them became owners
during the Fourth Republic,
when they governed and appropriated assets like this,
and they continue making money from tourism
and trying to impose conditions on the revolutionary government.
I won’t accept that.
So I said: let’s expropriate it.
And it’s expropriated.
And I’m going to change the name of the Margarita Hilton.
I’ll give it a local name.”
[Applause]
“Because the Hilton brand is international—
that’s not ours.”
“I announce the intervention of forty-three estates.
These are latifundia—
43 large estates—
totaling 20,200 hectares in this region.
It was about time.
Here’s the list— I won’t read them all.
From this moment on, Minister, Generals,
organize the civic-military intervention commands.
For example:
‘El Boche’ estate — 276.8 hectares.
La Carolina.
Olla Grande.
La Esperanza.
El Guaranito.
Campo Alegre.
Providencia.
Mi Futuro.”
[Music]
“El Retiro.
La Rosa — these are bigger, look:
1,150 hectares.
Most of these— we’ve already seen it—
you saw the shacks, the young man,
the pregnant woman, the little girl,
a cane-stick shack.”
“At the La Pastora estate in the Turbio Valley,
early this morning military forces arrived
after the land institute notified an expropriation
of around thirty estates.”
“We’re with Carlos Santos,
one of the owners affected.
Tell us: what time did the military arrive?”
“They took the farm around 7 a.m.
Officials from the land institute,
the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands,
and a convoy of military and reserve forces arrived.
They informed us they’re setting up tents
to secure the land and infrastructure.
We feel affected because there is productivity here—
animals, facilities—
they say we can keep working,
but that’s the serious problem:
the uncertainty,
because the procedure happened very fast.”
“We’re forming a legal team,
trying to file an injunction
against this so-called ‘recovery.’
You said expropriation,
but this isn’t expropriation, miss.
This is land confiscation.”
“Words of Carlos Santos, owner of La Pastora estate.”
“Is the glass company ready for expropriation?
What’s it called?
Owens-Illinois— expropriate it.”
“Elías, proceed.”
“A U.S.-owned company
that has spent years exploiting workers,
destroying the environment in Trujillo—
go look at the hills they destroyed—
and taking Venezuelan money.
Do an environmental study.
Record all the damage.
Proceed, Vice President.
And there’s another list— leave it there for now.
Owens-Illinois: expropriated.
Meanwhile, bourgeoisie, keep laughing.
Keep laughing.
Keep joking around.
Do whatever you think you should do.
I came here to fulfill an oath,
and nothing will divert me from that path.”
“The decision to expropriate
a group of rice-processing plants
from a multinational that won’t comply
with national regulations.
Come to me, I have flowers.”
“If Polar doesn’t want to comply
with the Constitution and the laws,
it will be expropriated.
My hand will not tremble.”
“How is it possible
that in La Candelaria
they’re building a Sambil mall?
No. No and no.
That will collapse downtown Caracas.
Stop that, Mr. Mayor.
We’re going to review it
and expropriate it
and turn it into a clinic,
a school, a university—
I don’t know— but no.”
“Agroisleña is expropriated.
It’s over.
It now becomes popular property,
national property.”
“I announce the nationalization
of the following companies…”
[long list of companies and assets]
“Authorized: expropriate.”
“Socialist homeland.”
Revolutionary ideology divides the world into social classes:
upper, middle, lower—
especially ownership of the means of production.
“Look closely at who owns what.
Where did they get it?
Recover for the people what belongs to the people.”
“Use executive decrees.
If not, the ministries, the president,
the National Assembly—
even special laws if needed.”
“This building with private jewelry shops— expropriate it.
That house where Bolívar lived— expropriate it.
This building with commercial spaces— expropriate it.”
Today the results of these policies are undeniable:
Venezuela condemned to hunger and poverty.
Chávez expropriated the future
of millions of Venezuelans,
condemned to a dictatorship
that now tries to clean its image
by selectively reversing expropriations
for businessmen tied to corrupt Chavista deals.
The assault on private property
is and always will be a crime.
That is why communism is, for many,
a criminal ideology that seeks harm for society.
And that is why Chávez received that harm back—
the damage he caused—
and why his agony was tragic and painful.
Chavistas of the world—
[Music]