On April 10, Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillén was suspended for five games without pay after TIME magazine published an interview quoting him as saying: “I love Fidel Castro,” and, “I respect Fidel Castro.”
As soon as the interview was published, Miami’s right-wing Cuban American exiles, who wield economic and political power in the city and are partners with the U.S. ruling class in their drive to overthrow the Cuban government, went into an uncontrolled frenzy.
A boycott of the Marlins organization was announced from several quarters. Francis Suarez, chairman of the Miami City Commission said Guillén should be summarily fired. Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said the Marlins should take “decisive steps to bring this community back together.”
A 45-minute press conference where Guillén apologized profusely many times to save his job has not quieted the Cuban American exile community.
Only in Miami, where anti-Cuba terrorist organizations responsible for scores of bombings and assassinations roam the city with complete impunity, could a baseball manager be suspended from his job without pay—and possibly fired—merely for suggesting that he has a favorable opinion about Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
The message could not be more clear: Anyone in Miami believed to sympathize with the Cuban government, or even advocate normal relations with Cuba, will face threats and coercion from the Cuban American exile community, with the full support of the institutions of city government, and the acquiescence of Washington.
This exposes once again what a brazen lie it is to say that the Cuban Five received a fair trial in Miami, a venue where simply saying you “respect” Fidel Castro means you could lose your job or worse.
