The duo of Cuban comedians Los Pichy Boys They demanded explanations from the board of directors of the Miami Marlins after his controversial decision to veto messages against the dictatorship on sweaters and posters brought to the stadium by Cuban fans who attended the match between “Team Asere” and the United States team in the semifinals of the V World Baseball Classic.
This Sunday, dozens of Cuban fans protested in front of the doors of LoanDepot Park due to the unexpected decision of the directors of the Miami team to prevent fans carrying Cuban flags, banners and t-shirts with messages against the Cuban regime and in favor of freedom in Cuba from entering the game.
“What happened yesterday in the stadium fills us with deep sadness, since we all witnessed how employees in uniform with the team logo prevented Cubans from entering the park with signs and t-shirts asking for Freedom,” the Pichy Boys said in a statement released through their social networks.
The comedians echoed the protests of many Cuban fans whose messages were banned and who were intimidated by stadium security personnel who threatened to expel them from the game if they showed signs of political activism against the dictatorship.
“We have always been a Marlins fan and even we have worked together for years promoting baseball to our Cuban community in South Florida,” said the Cuban actors, underlining the astonishment and pain that the attempt to censor the Cuban exile community in Miami caused them.
Pointing out the behavior of the city team's board of directors as hypocritical, the Pichy Boys reminded them that solidarity and The commitment to the freedom of Cuba is not only shown in “Cuban Heritage nights”.
That day “sing Willy Chirino, they put Homeland and Life, they have coffee, anyway, They are more Cuban than ever”, the comedians criticized them.
But in decisive moments to show that commitment, such as Sunday's game, the managers behaved in an unusual and suspicious manner, preventing fans from entering LoanDepot Park with their political messages, despite even the statements made hours before the game. by the mayor of Miami, Francis Suarez, who assured that he had reached an agreement with the Marlins in that regard.
“It was last night [Sunday], Marlins, when they had to stick up for us. For this exile that made them and maintains them. It seems incredible to be in Little Havana and have to enter with a 'Cuba Libre' T-Shirt hidden in your underwear”the artists protested.
Because of the affront that this represents, the Pichy Boys demanded that the Marlins explain “to their public why their staff behaved in that way towards the Cuban community of Homeland and Life who went to the park.”
“Until we receive a firm and forceful response from you, consider our professional and fan relationship on pause. There's No Playing With This Exile! “Homeland and Life, Long Live Cuba!” said the Cuban activists.
This Monday, the mayor of Miami assured that will investigate the prohibition of bringing posters against the Cuban regime into the Marlins stadium. "It is not clear why the policy changed. It could have been interpreted as something offensive that could harm the team's fans," he said in an interview with Telemundo 51.
Before the game, Suárez said that the Marlins' decision made no sense, when we live in a free country "where we should be able to express ourselves freely."
After the controversy aroused by the censorship exercised against Cuban exiles, the official stressed that the stadium is paid for with taxpayers' money and said that in conversations with the team he stated that this type of attitude could be interpreted as an offense to the fans.
Although LoanDepot Park security prevented fans from entering with t-shirts that had the slogan “Patria y Vida”, many managed to enter secretly with their banners and sweaters.
For his part, the senator Marco Rubio He also received reports of people who were prevented from entering by the Miami Marlins with messages against the Cuban regime, and recalled that the stadium was financed by taxpayers.
Before the start of the game, nearly 200 protesters gathered around the stadium calling for the release of political prisoners and singing songs against the Cuban regime.
Once inside, during the game shouts of "Freedom, Freedom", "Down with the dictatorship", "Homeland and life" and "Díaz-Canel sing..." were heard repeatedly; and three Cubans jumped into the playing field as a sign of protest.
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