Thursday, December 6, 2007

Arrests on church grounds

State security agents entered the grounds of a Santiago church and arrested protesters, according to press reports. The protesters had walked through the streets of Santiago and intended to pray for a recently arrested dissident. Tear gas was reportedly used, a priest who was on the premises called it a “wild terrorist party,” and Santiago’s bishop called it the “worst attack against the church in 45 years.” Press reports differ on details such as the number of those arrested and those who remain in detention. Here’s coverage from the Herald, Reuters, AP.

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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

hey leftside, where are you? they had it coming, right? Off to the re-education camps for these ingrates and anti-social types!!! Maybe they will be forced to read your postings to understand how good they have it in Papa Fidel's paradise....

December 6, 2007 at 5:28 PM
Fantomas said...

hay un monton de gente que jamas pisaran Cuba una vez democratica y libre...De eso me encargare personalmente

December 6, 2007 at 5:37 PM
leftside said...

Anon, actually they were released within 24 hours, not sent anywhere or even charged or arrested, as far as I can tell. The incident is unjustifiable because it involved a Church, but I suspect there is more than we are hearing about now (all this seems a little too well coordinated). And as someone who has been arrested and spent a night in 50 degree Chicago jails without being given a blanket or place to sleep (for doing nothing more than watching police abuse homeless people), I know police can be cruel and make mistakes anywhere.

It is worth noting that the Cuban Catholic Church and Sanchez are saying this is "unusal" and the worst attack on the Church in 45 years - and are in dialogue with the State to avoid a repeat.

December 6, 2007 at 6:24 PM
Sharpshooter said...

There he goes again.
Leftside again equating an arrest in Chicago with the arrest of dissidents in Cuba. He was given no blanket and no place to sleep. Poor thing! Did the jailers beat you up too? Boy, we must report these human rights violations and abuses to the UN Human Rights Commission so that a this clear violation does not occur again. In the meantime, maybe we can also send some blankets and beds to those "evil and anti-socialist people" in Cuba who because they do not understand the wonderful life they enjoy in Cuba, ask for the right to vote in a free election and clamor for the right to publish and opine in a free press in a free society.
Nah, those are vile and pro-yankee "worms" that do not deserve any considerations or decent treatment. In fact Leftside would probably say they got what they deserve for being counter revolutionaries.
My hat is off to Leftside who suffered the arrest and violation of his human rights stoically just like the Cuban prisoners of concience.
You may want to ask the Cuban prisoners where do they want to spend their time: in a Cuban jail or in a prison in Chicago? I am sure that the answer would be in Chicago without a doubt. At lesat they can eat a regular meal and do not have to endure the beatings and isolation the Cuban prisoners endure every day. But we can sleep secure knowing that Leftside is now our official USA prisoner of concience. Who knows, maybe there is an award somewhere waiting for him as a prisoner of concience in Chicago.

December 7, 2007 at 9:33 AM
leftside said...

While I am sure it will only make some of you happier, actually I did get worked over pretty well (twisted arm, tripped in the street, slammed against a car hood). They also did not allow me to use the washroom for 4 hours until I threatened their holding room furniture. The 2 cops who did the damage were off duty looking for a good time (they admitted it). And I got no food for 18 hours. The only reason the judge did not sentence me for "obstruction" (that is watching police work from 10 feet away behind a fence) was because the judge learned I worked at a University at the last minute. Thank god I do not have brown skin... That day in court I witnessed half a dozen young Latinos being sentenced for not having proper bicycle registration or displaying proper bike turn signals. I imagine a few were later deported from the country because of such a violation.

I did report the incident to the local Police Commission, but did not hear anything until last year when police were being caught pummeling citizens left and right on tape and Daley decided to do something. I could not make the hearing...

In the US, studies have shown that 13% of all adults in major cities have been abused by police. So I am not asking for pity. Many people who go into police work have fascist tendancies, no matter where they are born.

December 7, 2007 at 1:05 PM

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