Anti-Castro Sign at Ballgame Causes Stir

AP/breitbart.com ^ | March 10, 2006 | ANDREW SELSKY

[XR7]

SAN JUAN Puerto Rico - While Cuba played the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic, a spectator in the stands raised a sign saying: "Down with Fidel," sparking an international incident that escalated Friday with the velocity of a major league fastball.

The image of the man holding the sign behind home plate was beamed live Thursday night to millions of TV viewers - including those in Cuba. The top Cuban official at the game at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan rushed to confront the man.

Puerto Rican police quickly intervened and took the Cuban official _ Angel Iglesias, vice president of Cuba's National Institute of Sports _ to a nearby police station where they lectured him about free speech.

"We explained to him that here the constitutional right to free expression exists and that it is not a crime," police Col. Adalberto Mercado was quoted as saying in El Nuevo Dia, a San Juan daily.

The brouhaha gathered steam Friday when Cuba's Communist Party newspaper, Granma, called the sign-waving "a cowardly incident." Cuba's Revolutionary Sports Movement exhorted Cubans to demonstrate in Havana late Friday, saying U.S. and Puerto Rican authorities were involved in "the cynical counterrevolutionary provocations."

The Cuban Baseball Federation, in a statement released Friday in San Juan, said authorities failed to provide security and preserve the spirit of the sporting event, and "evidently had no intention of doing so."

The Cubans considered withdrawing from the tournament because of "the lack of security and respect" but decided to remain after Puerto Rican promoters made guarantees, the federation said in a statement without elaborating.

An anti-Castro Web site, therealcuba.com, identified the protester only as Enrique, and carried his own account of the incident.

Enrique said that during the warmup before the game, he flashed another sign denouncing Castro _ this one saying "Baseball players yes, Tyrants no" _ to the Cuban leader's son, Tony Castro. Tony Castro is the Cuban team doctor.

"He looked down and kept walking and I shouted 'Eso es para tu papa' (That is for your dad). ... I know he heard that," Enrique said, according to the account in the Web site.

Mercado said the spectator, and a second one who also waved signs, had tickets for the section behind home plate, but had moved out of their seats closer to the view of the TV cameras. Cuban state TV was showing the ESPN signal and the anti-Castro signs were briefly visible on television in Cuba.

Police later told the pair to return to their seats, Mercado said, adding that Iglesias was never under arrest.

"The Cubans were upset with the incident that happened last night, and they want to make sure it doesn't happen again," said John Blundell, spokesman of Major League Baseball, which helped establish the tournament. "We are doing everything that we can to ensure the safety of fans and the delegations."

Cuba downed the Netherlands 11-2. Cuba has also beat Panama in the first round of competition.

[XR7]

Cuba's Revolutionary Sports Movement exhorted Cubans to demonstrate in Havana late Friday, saying U.S. and Puerto Rican authorities were involved in "the cynical counterrevolutionary provocations."

LOL!

[Westlander]

Didn't Castro get thrown out of the only pro baseball game he played in ?

[endthematrix]

Tony Castro, son of the Cuban dictator

Check out http://www.therealcuba.com/

[Dallas59]

Granma, called the sign-waving "a cowardly incident." Cuba's Revolutionary Sports Movement exhorted Cubans to demonstrate in Havana late Friday, saying U.S. and Puerto Rican authorities were involved in "the cynical counterrevolutionary provocations."

ROFLMAO!!!!

These leftys and socialists are stuck in 1917 and can't get out. Sad really.

[wolfpat]

ping

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

"We explained to him that here the constitutional right to free expression exists and that it is not a crime," police Col. Adalberto Mercado was quoted as saying in El Nuevo Dia, a San Juan daily.

Awesome.

The Cuban dugout:

Anti-Castro demonstration that took place beforehand:

The "Independista" airheads-El Hefe's buddies-demonstrating the U.S.:

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

More pics:

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Welcome to democracy, cigar-suckers! LOL!

[HEY4QDEMS]

Cuba downed the Netherlands 11-2. Cuba has also beat Panama in the first round of competition.

Cuba also was pummeled by PR, probably because it's the first team they faced that had mostly pro players.

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

Yeah, that's what it looks like.

I didn't even know South Africans played baseball.

They were discussing how the SA pitchers had to be reprimanded during the game-before the mercy rule was invoked-because they kept throwing underhanded pitches.

[Cyclops08]

The simple fact is this: With the Cuban's acting like big babies over this sign...they pretty much guaranteed that these signs will be everywhere.

[Joe Boucher]

And in the end, how many of these cuban players will elect to defect and stay in the U.S.?

[jshermn]

Not many will defect, the past few years Cuba is only sending older players with families to tournaments, limiting their exposure to defections.

[armydawg1]

With the Cops in the dugout, it would have been a great time to defect.

[Savage Beast]

"Cuba's Revolutionary Sports Movement" (said) "U.S. and Puerto Rican authorities were involved in 'the cynical counterrevolutionary provocations.'""

Reminds you of the American Left's prohibition of freedom of speech: "speech codes", "hate speech", shouting down speakers whose opinions are unwelcome--provocations like that!

[Joe Boucher]

Guess they aren't interested in showing their supremacy in all things baseball etc.

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

Probably not.

Unless there was some consular office adjacent to the stadium.

Some of the stories of Cuban athletes escaping from Castro's tropical gulag are fascinating though.

If you go to the website-therealCuba-mentioned in this article they describe a Cuban baseball star who was executed before he had an opportunity to defect.

[freema]

I can't figure out why they play it, it's an American sport ; )

[Lib-Lickers 2]

and Puerto Rico crushed Cuba so badly last night the mercy rule was summoned

[MattinNJ]

bttt