HAVANA, December 10 (Carlos Alberto Domínguez, Cuba-Verdad /
www.cubanet.org) - More than 1,000 theatergoers and police clashed in front of a
theater December 6 when it became evident that an excess of tickets had been
sold and not all waiting would get to see a Mexican film shown as part of the
23rd Latin American Film Festival.
Witnesses saw several people being helped off the scene by friends, but it
wasnt immediately known how many were hurt in the incident or how
seriously. Many desisted from seeing the film and left after dozens of police
started beating the crowd indiscriminately with batons. The fracas left the
theaters ticket booth broken, its glass shattered by the shoving.
The melee started when the would-be moviegoers in front of the Yara theater
realized that somehow more tickets had been sold than the seats available and
that some patrons would not get in.
Adela, a well-dressed woman of about 40, summed up the problem: "We all
want to see the movie, because when the festival is over, it wont be
available any more, since the Cuban government does not have any money to buy
films."
The Yara, a large, 1950s vintage theater, is still one of Havanas
finest; which explains why it was being used to host an international film
festival and why the crowd waiting to get in was so numerous.
Across the street, at the popular Coppelia ice-cream shop, a man observing
the incident who said he was 72 but would not give his name, said, "If they
would only fight as strongly for their rights, there would be more liberty in
this country."
Versión
original en español
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