Bad Bunny, Ricky Martin and Resident Call for Resignation of Puerto Rico Governor

In recent months, Bad Bunny jumped from country to country during his planned European tour, which included dates at Sónar Barcelona and Lollapalooza Paris this weekend. But Monday night, as she enjoyed a break in the Ibiza tour, the Latin star of the trap tweeted that the tour was on hold as she was going to add to a march in Puerto Rico on Wednesday. Using the hashtag #RickyRenuncia, Bad Bunny and thousands of Puerto Ricans have asked for the resignation of Puerto Rican governor Ricky Rossello, implicated in a corruption case.

For years, decades, the system has taught us to sit idle, "said Bad Bunny in
one of two Instagram videos that he posted on Monday. "They made us believe that those who go out on the streets are crazy, criminals, problematic people … Let's show them today that we demand respect […] The country does not belong to them, it belongs to the people. "

Wednesday was the third day of protests in Puerto Rico, calling for the resignation of Rosselló. The demonstrations began Monday night, after the publication by the Center for Investigative Journalism of almost
900 pages of private discussions between the governor and 11 badistants and members of his cabinet, which were filtered from Telegram. The recording of the talks reveals badist and homophobic insults and rude comments, which make fun of colleagues and political opponents; They also talked about stars like Ricky Martin, local activists and even victims of Hurricane Maria. Last week, the FBI arrested two former members of the Rosselló government, accused of corruption in the federal government and 32 charges, including the laundering of more than $ 15 million in federal funds under contracts concluded during his tenure: Julia Keleher, his former secretary of education and Angela Avila Marrero, former executive director of administration of the Puerto Rico health insurance system.

"Corruption is a social evil, a social evil in the private sector, a social evil in local government and a social evil in the federal government," Rosselló said at a press conference Tuesday morning. . The conference was accompanied by a chaotic night of demonstrations outside his home in Old San Juan, where police were seen tear-gbading protesters. Although he apologized for the insults and abusive remarks read about the cat, Rosselló insisted that he not resign. "I have not committed any illegal act," he told reporters. "I have committed reprehensible acts."

The arrests and #TelegramGate have increased the discomfort of Puerto Ricans, especially after years of economic turmoil under US supervision. The Rosselló government has also been indifferent to the demand of feminist groups to increase the number of feminicides and domestic violence on the island. Wednesday's protest was led by the Feminist Construction Collective and the Puerto Rico Workers' Union, with the support of Bad Bunny and his residents.

Yesterday, the two stars of urban music launched a new theme with iLe (also Calle 13), to publicize the march. This is not the first time that Bad Bunny and Resident have challenged the highest authority of the island: in January, the two men arrived unexpectedly at the president's, early in the morning, to talk about the crime rate of the island. At that time, they limited themselves to making diplomatic comments about Rosselló, but in the new title "Sharpening the knives", Bad Bunny makes his most incisive political comment to date: "And that all continents Know / That Ricardo Rosselló is an incompetent / homophobic, deceitful, delinquent / for you no one loves you, nor your own people ".

Ricky Martin was also present at the protest and played an important role in convincing Puerto Ricans to take action by posting a video on Twitter on Tuesday night calling for Rosselló's resignation. "Puerto Rico has already suffered too much and we can no longer tolerate the cynicism of these so-called leaders," he said. "Please, Puerto Rico, do not be afraid, join us."

Nuria Net