Rivalry between Cubans and Mexicans at Vedado fair

The fair held at Linea and L Park, in El Vedado neighborhood of Havana, was affected this Saturday when a brawl broke out between a group of Mexican and Cuban citizens for reasons that are unknown.

Images of the event were shared by the independent media outlet CubaNet on its social networks, indicating that "tensions rise amidst the heat, discomfort due to power outages, and the daily odyssey to obtain food."

According to witnesses of the event, the fight broke out between a group of Cubans and another of Mexicans," the aforementioned media outlet specified in its publication, describing the images of the fight as "regrettable."

The fight involved at least three Mexican youths who behaved aggressively, chasing a Cuban youth and confronting those who tried to calm them down.

Finally, one of them headbutted a Cuban, triggering a massive brawl in which a handful of Cubans who tried to mediate and those who chose violence were involved.

In the video, a woman can be heard shouting to intervene in the brawl. "They are drunk!" yelled the mediator while assisting one of the young Mexicans, who had a bruise on his torso, presumably caused by a kick received from a Cuban while fighting on the ground with another person.

“We live in the jungle and behave like animals. Cubans wake up every day (if they sleep) thinking about what to put on the table for the family. People often go to bed without eating, all of this unleashes anger and there is no room for conversation,” concluded an internet user in the publication on CubaNet.

In June 2022, several Cubans reported the proliferation of farmlands in the parks of El Vedado and claimed that the State is favoring the ruralization of La Habana, causing discomfort to the city's residents.

The municipal authorities have allowed -against the most basic urban planning, coexistence, and social discipline observances- the permanent installation of platforms for the sale of agricultural products. These spaces affect the areas at any time of the day and are occupying more square meters of land, benches, corridors, and sidewalks," one of them denounced on social media.

Decades ago, the renowned Cuban architect and urban planner Mario Coyula warned about the dangers of the ruralization of El Vedado and Havana in general. In this sense, he cautioned about the signs of the deterioration of the urban landscape and the loss of the residents' sense of belonging to the city, which end up shamelessly attacking it.

Recently, Havana's parks have also become scenarios for street vending of frozen chicken boxes imported from the United States. In November 2023, a group of Cuban barbers decided to offer free haircuts during the fair at Linea and L Park where this Saturday a group of Cubans and Mexicans got into a fight.