Shots Fired Over Heads Of Passion Play Crowd
<N -Z.P.A-Reuter—Copyright)
HAVANA, March 31. Mystery gunmen fired several volleys from submachine guns today as a crowd of 5000 watched the traditional Good Friday Passion Play at Goines, 31 miles southeast of Havana. The raiders aimed over the heads of the crowd and eyewitnesses said they saw no victims. Several persons were hurt in the panic afterwards. The first shots rang out just as the actor portraying Pontius Pilate sentenced Christ to death and the crowd shouted: “Crucify him. To the cross.” About 2000 persons seated in the outdoor arena scrambled to safety underneath their chairs.
Another 3000 standing at the back leaped for cover in scenes of wild panic. The shots came from the park facing the church where the passion play is enacted each Good Friday There apparently were no casualties in the first volley and people started regaining their feet while hundreds streamed toward the stage shouting, “Cuba so. Russia no” and “Down with communism” More shots rang out at this point, but the crowd did not panic. Armed Government militiamen raced to the scene to dislodge an anti-Conununist banner the ' shouting spectators had hoisted on the stage. The performance was stopped.
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume C, Issue 29478, 3 April 1961, Page 11
Word Count
203Shots Fired Over Heads Of Passion Play Crowd Press, Volume C, Issue 29478, 3 April 1961, Page 11
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