Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 12 June 2017

Puerto Rican nationalist booed, cheered at New York’s parade

By DENIZ CAM Lopez Rivera was cheered volvement with a group re-
Associated Press Writer and booed as he stood sponsible for bombings that
NEW YORK (AP) — Oscar proudly clutching a Puerto killed and maimed dozens
Lopez Rivera may not have Rican flag when the pa- of people.
officially been honored as rade stepped off in Man- “He did not represent me,”
a National Freedom Hero hattan. His supporters fol- said Rivera, visiting from Or-
in the city’s Puerto Rican lowed, carrying signs that lando, Florida.
Day Parade on Sunday, read, “Oscar Lopez Rivera She said she would not
but the fervent national- is our Mandela.” have gone to watch the
ist who spent decades in Nanchelle Rivera, who’s no celebration if she’d known
prison for his involvement relation, was not among Lopez Rivera would be
with a group responsible them. From the sidelines, there.
for a string of bombings in she said she refuses to A supporter in the parade
the 1970s and ‘80s still got back the man who served heard her booing and
to ride on a float. 35 years in prison for his in- shouted back, “This is your
Puerto Rican nationalist Oscar Lopez Rivera, center, rides in a
float along 5th Ave. during the National Puerto Rican Day Pa-
rade Sunday, June 11, 2017 in New York.
(AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
history!” the focus was too much on
For at least the first hour, the him and not enough on the
march allayed fears that plight of Puerto Rico. The
it might turn violent, given parade’s board of direc-
the fervent discussions that tors said in a statement that
for weeks preceded the Lopez Rivera would join the
activist’s planned appear- parade “not as an honoree
ance. but as a humble Puerto Ri-
City Council Speaker Me- can and grandfather.”
lissa Mark-Viverito, a Dem- Most of the tens of thou-
ocrat, tried to smooth out sands of revelers turned out
the verbal clashes among simply to celebrate Puerto
those for and against Lo- Rico, happily salsa dancing
pez Rivera. and waving Puerto Rican
“I’m here to celebrate,” flags. Some wrapped their
she said. “This is a day of bodies in it, others adorned
unity and celebration.” their heads with the red,
As for those who chose to white and blue colors.
stay away because of Lo- Rosa Rosario, a New York
pez Rivera, she said “that’s resident, said she didn’t
their decision.” care that Lopez Rivera was
People and corporations, there.
including AT&T and JetBlue, “I don’t support a politi-
withdrew from the parade cal movement,” she said,
in protest of the decision to explaining that she was at
honor the 74-year-old for- the parade to support “my
mer member of the militant hometown, Hormigueros,”
Puerto Rican nationalist a municipality in the west-
group Armed Forces of Na- ern region of the island.
tional Liberation, or FALN. The parade has often been
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a a venue to showcase the
Democrat, and several po- complicated history of the
lice and fire department U.S. territory, now mired in a
groups also said they would recession. This year, it came
not attend. on the day Puerto Ricans
Lopez Rivera said last week were voting among three
he would not accept the choices: independence,
title of National Freedom statehood or their current
Hero organizers first grant- territorial status.
ed him but would instead Decades ago, FALN
join the parade as a regu- claimed responsibility for
lar citizen, partly because more than 100 bombings