AP Reporters Attacked on Havana’s Malecon
HAVANA TIMES, Dec 12 — A pro-government mob violently assaulted a team of journalists from the Associated Press (AP) on Friday as they attempted to interview young Cubans along Havana’s seaside avenue, reported the Café Fuerte website.
A dispatch issued by AP confirms that a video camera was damaged, a cameraman was hit in the face and another one had their thumb twisted. The correspondents were able to leave the scene of the attack with the aid of presumed state security agents in civilian dress.
The violent attack was related to the presence of a flotilla of Cuban exiles who launched fireworks 14 miles off the Cuban coast on the eve of International Human Rights Day.
Well, it is understandable that many Cubans would be incensed by such AP reporters acting in conjunction with the hypocritical stupidity of what are termed “Cuban exiles.” What is less understandable is why the attackers did not realize how much damage their actions might do to Cuba’s image abroad, and also why the attackers were not arrested straight away.