A New York cleric known for bombast, demagoguery, rabble-rousing and harangues has found receptive platforms on Univision and Telemundo, on which to compare Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump to Osama bin Laden.
Leading protests against Trump’s right to speak in Patchogue, New York, retired Brookville Reformed Church Pastor Allan Ramírez caught the cameras’ attention when he said Trump was persona non grata in the area, due to the racially-motivated murder of an immigrant that was committed in the vicinity eight years ago, and in which Trump was obviously not implicated.
REV. ALLAN RAMIREZ: Inviting Donald Trump to come to this sacred place for our immigrant people is like inviting Osama bin Laden to come to Ground Zero to give a speech.
Ramírez’s comparison of Trump with the mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that resulted in the death of nearly 3,000 people at the World Trade Center went entirely unchallenged on Univision.
However, on Telemundo correspondent Angie Sandoval quoted the Suffolk County Republican Committee’s statement that although they regret immigrant Marcelo Lucero’s 2008 death, the citizens of the area “have the right to know the candidates, and all of them were invited more than three months ago.”
The Suffolk Country Republican Committee, which has endorsed Trump’s candidacy for President, is holding the April 14 fundraiser in Patchogue, featuring Trump.
Univision’s report, on the other hand, included no comment from the venue or from anyone in the Suffolk County Republican Committee, instead only using the family of the victim and the cleric as props that feed into the predictable, rabid anti-Trump frenzy that Univision routinely trumpets in their coverage.
Trump and his supporters clearly have the right to gather at any venue they wish, even more so if the venue is suited to handle the large crowds his rallies tend to attract. But as we’ve noticed before, Univision apparently only favors freedom of speech when they like what they hear.
Below are the relevant portions of the cited reports, broadcast on April 11 editions of Noticiero Univision and Noticiero Telemundo:
NOTICIERO UNIVISION
4/11/16
6:36:28 PM – 6:38:31 PM EST | 2 MIN 4 SEC
BLANCA ROSA VILCHEZ, REPORTER, UNIVISION: Today, there was a protest against the idea of Trump holding an event on Long Island near the place where hate crimes occurred eight years ago. The brother of one of the victims was there.
JOSELITO LUCERO, BROTHER OF HATE CRIME VICTIM: I thought that this place, this town, was changed for the better, giving a positive message to our community, for being more open ... but it was not. It is not like this.
REV. ALLAN RAMIREZ: Inviting Donald Trump to come to this sacred place for our immigrant people is like inviting Osama bin Laden to come to Ground Zero to give a speech.
NOTICIERO TELEMUNDO
4/11/16
6:31:10 PM – 6:34:05 PM EST |
REV. ALLAN RAMIREZ: It disgusts us that he comes to this place, to Patchogue, where Marcelo Lucero was killed, it’s like inviting Osama bin Laden to come visit Ground Zero.
ANGIE SANDOVAL, REPORTER, TELEMUNDO: The mogul will ask for $150 to $300 dollars for entry to come see him at this venue located on the same road, just a few blocks away, from where Lucero was stabbed to death in 2008. But the activists are ready.
ELIANA FERNANDEZ, ACTIVIST: We can’t remain silent, it is not acceptable, he has to know that he’s not welcome, the immigrant community will not accept all his rhetoric of hate.
ANGIE SANDOVAL, REPORTER, TELEMUNDO: On Thursday, they will be the ones to send a message to Donald Trump.
ANGIE SANDOVAL, REPORTER, TELEMUNDO: Well, the Mayor of Patchogue, which has a Hispanic population of almost 30%, says that he’s afraid that there will be clashes this Thursday. Nevertheless, the Republican Committee of Suffolk, which invited Donald Trump to the city, affirms that while it feels sorrow for the Lucero family, all citizens have a right to know the candidates, and all of them were invited more than 3 months ago.
