In June 1990, South African leader and revolutionary Nelson Mandela visited Miami during a tour of the United States,

quoting here from a journal article, quote,

four months after being released from prison,

Nelson Mandela made a tour of eight American cities and was given a nearly universal and enthusiastic heroes welcome in all of them, except Miami.

Quote the Cuban American controlled Miami City Commission rescinded the resolution that it had prepared in honor of Mandela and refused to grant him any kind of welcome.

Why would this be?

Colonel Gaddafi, Fidel Castro, support our struggle to the hilt.

They do not support it only in rhetoric.

They are placing resources at our disposal for us to win this party.

Mandela had praised Castro unequivocally and unambiguously a week before on TV.

Nelson Mandela came to Miami and just before he arrived, Cuban American political leaders really demanded that he speak badly of Castro or that they would not welcome him into the community.

The city of Miami had already passed a resolution and they took it back.

And as a result, Nelson Mandela was snubbed and people from all over the country and some from outside the country began to say,

well, what's going on in Miami?

This actually led to dueling demonstrations and street fighting when Mandela visited the Miami Beach Convention Center to give a speech while he spoke outside.

Crowds in support of Mandela traded chance and sometimes blows against crowds who had nothing but bad things to say.

It did break down largely on racial lines with black Floridians on one side and Cuban Floridians as well as some Jewish Floridians on the other.

Again, quoting, some Cuban Americans called live Spanish language radio programs to say things such as quote,

Mandela go home and quote, out with Mandela, we have enough communist seer.

And quote, some press reports mention even less politically correct reactions. Many people call Mandela a terrorist.

One man said Mandela quote, did not learn anything in the past 27 years. That is, while he was imprisoned in apartheid South Africa.

And some argued that apartheid was a lesser evil compared to the plight of black ruled countries.

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