Cuban appeals 2-year sentence for drunken protest

HAVANA — A Cuban who was arrested for a drunken outburst in which he complained about hunger on the island appeared in court Thursday to appeal his two-year sentence for an incident that has made him an Internet celebrity.

Juan Carlos Gonzalez Marcos, known by the nickname Panfilo, appeared obviously inebriated when he burst into an interview for a documentary on Cuban music waving his arms and screaming, “What we need here is a little bit of chow.”

Video of his rant turned up on YouTube, where it has been seen more than 450,000 times since it was posted in April. It has also become a rallying cry for exile groups in South Florida, where some hail him as one of the few Cubans who dare speak frankly about the difficulties of daily life.

Gonzalez Marcos was arrested and sentenced to two years in prison on a charge of “dangerousness,” said Elizardo Sanchez, head of the independent Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation.

In a second video posted on YouTube, Gonzalez Marcos expresses regret that his outburst was used for political ends.

Gonzalez Marcos’ attorney, appearing at a central Havana court on Thursday, declined comment on the appeal and would not say when a decision was expected.

Two Western diplomats tried to observe the appeal proceedings, but said they were asked to leave before they began. The two, who spoke on condition they not be named due to their governments’ rules, told The Associated Press they waited more than two hours but were eventually informed by court authorities that the process was open to the public but only a Cuban public, not an international one.

Cuba tolerates no official opposition, and the island’s dissidents and activists have little organized following, though infighting and disputes are common.