Six athletes arrested after Berlin scuffle

[tandfman]

AFAIK, it's the US government that forbids its citizens having any contacts with Cubans

Nonsense.

[Powell]

AFAIK, it's the US government that forbids its citizens having any contacts with Cubans

Nonsense.

The ban on travel to Cuba and doing business with the country is pretty much that.

[Grazerism]

Recent opera story: In Muenster (West Germany) the opera traditionally held opening night parties at a certain restaurant. After one opening an African-American singer arrived a little late, alone. He was refused admission to the restaurant. To the credit of the opera boss, that was the last opera party at that restaurant!

[Weights&Shoes]

I've personally been harassed, insulted in the street, refused service, and asked to leave places in Germany because I was in the company of non-white people. And not in the former GDR either. Obviously, I don't know what happened in this particular incident, so I can't judge it. But, given my own experiences, the possibility of a racially charged situation here does not seem remote to me.

Damn and Germany was one place I wanted to visit.

[TrakFan]

His version is that Donald Thomas and Bershawn Jackson were on the ground being stomped and beaten by the bouncers when the others stepped in, and tried to be cool about the whole thing and as a result one of them got maced and then a good working over with a pair of boots.

What happened before the stomping began? I'm sure they weren't simply grabbed by the bouncers, thrown to the ground, and stomped until rescued.

[gh]

he says it's no coincidence all the guys who got beat on were people of color

Is this hearsay not "absurd and offensive"?

C'mon, cut me some friggin' slack here. I'm a trained journalist (well, of sorts!) and I'm ready to take the heat for anything I scribble down for you guys.

I wouldn't have posted this if it were mere "hearsay." I have sources to protect, or I don't get the kind of inside shit I assume some of you come here for.

Or is my handle suddenly showing up as Joe From Poughkeepsie?

[Daisy]

C'mon, cut me some friggin' slack here.

I guess you missed my tongue firmly in my cheek. Read my other posts on this thread. I'll remember the emoticon next time. Thanks for the info though, certainly we won't be getting that from anywhere else soon.

[NormZylstra]

Talked to a white guy in Z today who had some "intimate" knowledge of the whole thing and he says it's no coincidence all the guys who got beat on were people of color.

His version is that Donald Thomas and Bershawn Jackson were on the ground being stomped and beaten by the bouncers when the others stepped in, and tried to be cool about the whole thing and as a result one of them got maced and then a good working over with a pair of boots.

The bouncers claimed they had been hit by flying glass, but refused medical treatment (my source says because any medico would have recognized right away that the injuries they had weren't from flying objects, unless you count fists).

The police took statements from all the athletes, then said, "good night" and sent them home and that was the end of it. No charges, nothing.

Thanks for clearing-up the story.

[richxx87]

Or is my handle suddenly showing up as Joe From Poughkeepsie?

Ya, but did you ever pick your feet in Poughkeepsie?

[Jacksf]

The police took statements from all the athletes, then said, "good night" and sent them home and that was the end of it. No charges, nothing.

Thanks for clearing-up the story.

All the news reports say that some athletes spent the night in jail....???

[gh]

My source says the word "arrested" is a bit of a misnomer. He said (although not a lawyer) that German law was clear in this case: police needed to take people in and get statements.

The athletes didn't have the easiest time rousting their agents in the wee hours, and there was also a language barrier (as in, the police didn't want to take statements in a language in which they couldn't claim fluency). An agent who spoke German eventually showed up and each of the athletes was "debriefed." As you can imagine, that took some time. But after each had given his statement, the cops said "see ya" and that was apparently the end of that.

So, some law dude can parse what the definition of "arrest" is. In my parlance, if you are taken to the police station and let go without any charges being filed you have not been arrested.

[Powell]

Have you been to Cuba? I have.

I have not, but I talked to enough people who have, and travelled around the island freely interacting with the locals.
I suppose the question is how recently you visited the island. Twenty years ago, things might have been as you say. Nowadays, with Cuba having become a popular touristic destination for Europeans, and the government trying to attract as many hard-currency visitors as possible, things are different.

[Alexm]

Two things stick out clearly in this thread; politicised views of Cuba and xenophobic views of Germans...as xenophobic.

I'm pretty sure you're just as likely to get beaten up in any european country or the States for 'being black' as you are in Germany. There is no evidence that Germans are currently anymore racist than any other nationalities. Infact, the move to the right has probabaly been more stark in other countries in recent years.

[Daisy]

I'm pretty sure you're just as likely to get beaten up in any european country or the States for 'being black' as you are in Germany.

Absolutely correct. I was never trying to paint Germany as more xenophobic, we were discussing specific individuals who happen to be be German. The reality is that these types of individual are everywhere. Just look at the recent West Ham vs Millwall debacle in London. And the FARE site I linked to is dealing with these issues in ALL Europeans countries.