Babalu Blog

A Father's Day gift to remember (UPDATED)

Remember the Black Tie Gala at the Cuban interests section in DC we wrote about last week? Well, the party went on as planned this past saturday but there were a couple snags.

Not only was a protest staged in front of the building, but the party was infiltrated by anti-castro Cuban-Americans and Americans. These peaceful advocates were expelled from the premises when it was learned they were passing out cards delineating fidel castro's violations of civil and human rights.

From the Real Cuba, here's a moving statement from Maria Werlau of the Free Society Project, one of the protests organizers:

Freedom network outdoes Castro's Security in its own nest

Monday, June 20, 2005. Saturday night Cuban officials expelled a group of peaceful advocates from a gala at the Cuban Interests Section in Washington for distributing cards allusive to repression in Cuba. Party organizers had ignored numerous calls and e-mails objecting to Cuba's totalitarian regime and asking for the event to be canceled or the venue changed.

The black tie event at $89-99 per guest was organized by Professionals in the City, a social and networking organization. It had been heavily promoted as an extremely unique opportunity "to explore the culture, cuisine, and music of Cuba, one of the most fascinating and misunderstood nations of our time."

Partygoers were promised "a true Havana evening," at the "gorgeous mansion with thick red carpet and crystal chandeliers." The house, built in 1917, was once the official embassy of Cuba. A scrumptious buffet, flowing alcohol, music, and dance followed salsa lessons held two days before.

The human rights' advocates passed an inspection at the door as Cuban agents carelessly checked names of arriving guests against a long list of alleged opponents to the Castro regime. Once upstairs, the pretenders proceeded to taste the food and drink and engage in conversation with young professionals in attendance. Shortly into the evening, the small groups began handing out three different versions of glossy 4x6 cards with pictures and messages allusive to oppression in Cuba on both sides. One cited a Human Rights Watch report on the denial of basic rights to Cubans. Another card showed a lavish buffet at a tourist hotel on the island, banned to Cubans while they live under rationing on an average monthly wage of US$10. The side of one card highlighted Amnesty International prisoner of conscience Dr. Oscar Biscet. One card was dedicated to the thousands of victims of the Castro regime and cited 78 minors executed and assassinated.

Willing takers were also given small stickers reading "We support freedom in Cuba," which activists had put on their clothing. The human rights defenders were friendly to all partygoers and suspected agents alike and mindful of not interfering with their enjoyment.

Within a few minutes, the watching army of security agents and collaborators encircled the activists, mostly dispersed in small groups, taking their cards and demanding they leave. All left when approached without resisting, quickly escorted by Cuban agents to the front gate, where DC police were stationed.

They proceeded to join the street protest on the other side of the street. In one case, a woman left on her own was surrounded by several male agents and angrily told she had to leave as they grabbed her cards. When she refused to hand over the cards, two agents squeezed her strongly by both arms. As they
pulled her down the stairs, she began crying out "Freedom for Cuba." On Sunday, she proudly showed off her bruises as her father's day gift to her dad, killed when she was a toddler at the Bay of Pigs after he had fought under Castro for democracy in Cuba.

Upon entry to the party, organizers at the door had directed guests cleared for advance payment to proceed for screening by Cuban personnel against a rejection list of political opponents. Michael Karlan, who runs Professionals in the City, told some of the advocates who confronted him as they were escorted out that they would have their tickets reimbursed. The young professionals who hastily assembled to make this gesture for human rights came together to advance liberty for Cuba. Some have been participants of organized human rights groups or initiatives, all are U.S. citizens, and several were not of Cuban heritage. A D.C. lawyer with no family or cultural links to Cuba showed strong leadership in coordinating the effort. Because the party was held on the eve of Fathers' Day, another lawyer joined in to pay a tribute to his father, who had fought in the Bay of Pigs. One business entrepreneur's grandfather had spent long years as a political prisoner. All overcame the fear of physical harm or reprisal to speak on behalf of the silenced Cuban people, ruled by force and fear for 46 years by the Castro dictatorship.

Cuban diplomats and security agents have a history of beating peaceful demonstrators all over the world. In January 2004, Agence France-Presse journalist Jorge Carlos Forbes was attacked by Cuban security agents accompanying Cuban diplomats at an art exhibition in Paris. In April 2004, a Cuban official assaulted the Executive Director of the Washington-based Center for a Free Cuba inside a United Nations building in Geneva as U.N. guards rushed to protect him from other Cubans. In 2003, Reporters Without Borders activists, including its Secretary-General Robert Menard, were beaten by Cuban embassy staff in Paris. In 2000, a group of men and women was attacked by ten "diplomats" in front of the Cuban Interests Section in Washington in full view of U.S. Secret Service agents, one who was injured in their defense.

The U.S. and Cuba broke diplomatic relations in 1961 after the Castro government seized U.S. properties of over $1.8 billion and began subverting Latin American democracies. In 1977, during the Carter Administration, the United States and Cuba established Interests Sections to carry out diplomatic and consular activities. Both are respectively under the protection of the Embassy of Switzerland. A 2003 State Department report states that the U.S. Interests Section in Cuba (USINT) "operates in a hostile environment manufactured by the Government of Cuba. USINT personnel are treated to a steady diet of officially-sanctioned provocations, surveillance, recruitment attempts, and harassment."

Jorge of the Real Cuba has a photo of one of the activists being excorted out of the building.

Update: Jay Nordlinger of the National Review writes about this in his Impromptus today. He even mentions Jorge's site, TheRealCuba.com. Way to go!

Posted by Val Prieto at June 21, 2005 07:50 AM |

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Comments

Posted by: Jose Aguirre at June 21, 2005 08:30 AM

Posted by: CB at June 21, 2005 08:59 AM

Posted by: Jorge at June 21, 2005 02:07 PM

Posted by: mojoman at June 21, 2005 04:32 PM