HAVANA, December 10 (Amarilis Cortina, Cuba-Verdad) – Three
eighth-grade students were interrogated in front of the other students by the
school principal as to their reasons for not wanting to go to a mass rally in
the vicinity of the school. The three, students at the "José Machado"
middle school, had stated they would not be attending the rally set for
Saturday, December 2, in the Havana municipality of Arroyo Naranjo, when they
signed the list in which students were asked to signify their intention of
participating in the event.
The school’s principal told the students in front of an assembly of
other students, "You should attend this activity, because you are
revolutionary children."
When one child said he could not attend because he had to go somewhere with
his parents, the principal asked, "Where could you be going that’s
more important than an "open tribune"?
The open tribunes became fashionable after the Elián González
affair. They consist of meetings, in which several dignitaries expound on some
issue of importance to the revolution. They are held almost daily in different
parts of the country to protest the U. S. embargo.
A student who had signed the list stating he would not attend the meeting,
later surreptitiously obtained the list and changed his answer so as not to be
questioned, said another student, who asked not to be identified.
Versión original
en español
CubaNet does not require sole rights from its
contributors. We authorize the reproduction and distribution of this article as
long as the source is credited.
| 