Thousands of people took to the streets of Puerto Rico this Wednesday to protest against the governor, Ricardo Rosselló, after a Telegram chat in which the leader and members of his team participated were leaked. The content of the messages included homophobic and sexist comments, as well as mentions of politicians, journalists and well-known faces.
Artists like Ricky Martin, Bad Bunny, Residente, Tommy Torres and Benicio del Toro, among others, joined the demonstrations this Wednesday.
"Rosselló has to go to hell so that corruption and money laundering does not continue, he has insulted the people who work for him and all of Puerto Rico. This cannot remain like this," said the member of Calle 13 in statements to the CBS network.
For his part, Ricky Martín asked for a change in Puerto Rico. The artist was precisely one of the people referred to in the chat because of his sexual condition.
Christian Sobrino Vega, who was Puerto Rico's top fiscal official and Roselló's representative on the federal board responsible for handling the country's financial crisis, wrote: "No one says patriarchal oppression like Ricky Martin."
"Ricky Martin is so macho that he fucks men because women don't measure up," Sobrino added.
The singer asked for the unity of Puerto Ricans to bring about a change of course. "I live in America, but I have had to come to Puerto Rico to make the world see that we are going to achieve change. When Puerto Rico is united and we do it, we can make wonderful things happen. And that is why we are here today," he declared during the protest.
"They are going to listen to us. We cannot take it anymore. Puerto Rico has suffered enough! We are tired and angry," he denounced.
Hours before, he already shared a message on his social networks in which he attacked Roselló. "Frustrated, angry, I feel a horrible pressure in my chest and how I can free myself from this anguish is simply by traveling to Puerto Rico and saying I am present at the march," he said.
"We are going to walk to the Fortress and we are going to let Ricardo Rosselló know that we do not want him in power, that we are tired and we can no longer handle the cynicism of these leaders," he added in a video.
Benicio del Toro declared that the situation on the island "affects me, for me it is very sad, we must protest peacefully and we must explain to the governor what the people feel."
"It should go to hell. We are only spokespersons, but the march belongs to Puerto Rico. The country is ours," Bad Bunny said in statements reported by EFE. "We can't allow it anymore," he added.
People of all ages gathered in the massive protest, which began at the San Juan Capitol. During the march, banners calling for Roselló's resignation could also be seen.
"Ricky (in reference to Ricardo Roselló) to hell" and "Ricky, go away and take the Board," were some of the proclamations that were heard.
Activist Lin-Manuel Miranda also showed his support for those calling for Rosselló's march and said that he could not be present because he had to participate in a rally in Union Square in New York at the same time.
"This is not a moment, it is a movement. I have never seen anger turn into courage so quickly," he wrote on his Twitter account.
Luis Fonsi shared a message on his Instagram profile in which he also urged the governor of Puerto Rico to present his resignation for the good of the country.
"Roselló, think about the country and our Island first before any other consideration and resign immediately, make a peaceful transition, avoid more suffering and global shame for our people," he wrote.
The protests began last weekend and have been daily following the disclosure of the content of the chat by the Center for Investigative Journalism.
Furthermore, as explained Univision In the last hours, the Puerto Rico legislature will form a group of lawyers to evaluate the content of the controversial chat. If necessary, they can recommend whether a "constitutional mechanism" is activated so that Roselló leaves power.
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