Several sponsors have pulled out of New York City’s Puerto Rican Day parade after organizers decided to invite and honor F.A.L.N. terrorist Oscar López Rivera, who helped organize a string of bombings in the U.S. in the 1970s and 80s. He was serving a 70-sentence until President Obama commuted his sentence at the 35-year mark in January.
Police groups were especially incensed over Rivera’s invite. The NYPD, the NYPD’s Hispanic Society, the FDNY officers’ union, and the FDNY Hispanic Society all quickly announced they wouldn’t be attending after hearing Rivera’s name.
The Yankees, Coca-Cola, AT&T, Corona, JetBlue and Goya also joined the boycott. Yet, up until Thursday, Univision was still a sponsor, even defending Rivera.
They finally came to their senses, offering the following statement to the New York Daily News.
"WXTV Univision 41, WADO 1280 AM and La X 96.3 will not be sponsors of this year’s Puerto Rican Day Parade. Our station’s news team will continue to provide news coverage of the event as we do with other similar events of this size in our community," Univision said in a statement to the Daily News.
"In lieu of participating, we will redirect funds to the organizer’s scholarship fund to benefit Puerto Rican students."
The parade, which sounds like it will be scarcely attended, is scheduled for June 11. Organizers are reportedly set to present Rivera as a "National Freedom Hero."
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