The march will start at 1 p.m. Saturday from the Bay of Pigs memorial, Southwest Eighth Street and 13th Avenue, and will end at Jose Marti Park, Southwest Fourth Street and Fourth Avenue.
``The Cuban problem has only one solution: direct confrontation with the present regime, until it is eradicated,'' said a press release from the Committee of Patriotic Reaffirmation. The committee consists of 22 individual groups and coalitions.
According to the announcement, the demonstration will commemorate the death of Cuban independence hero Antonio Maceo Grajales, Dec. 7, 1896, ``as well as the deaths of all who have fought for the independence of Cuba, most recently Jorge Mas Canosa.''
Roberto Rodriguez, president of the Cuban Patriotic Junta, said the march ``will make it clear that the exile community does not surrender, that Jorge Mas Canosa was not the only gladiator in our intransigent opposition to Castro's dictatorship.''
The idea for a march emerged several weeks ago, Rodriguez said, as a response to ``the propaganda barrage by liberal elements, Cuban and American, who want a resumption of relations between the United States and Cuba.''
Francisco Hernandez, secretary of Cuban Unity, said that Mas Canosa's death has spurred the liberals' calls for a normalization of U.S.-Cuban relations.
``The exile community is not in favor of any deal with Castro made by the United States, the European Union or whoever,'' he said.
The Cuban American National Foundation supports the march and its principles, said Ninoska Perez Castellon, the group's chief spokeswoman.
``The foundation has participated in all previous marches and will take part in this one,'' she said.
Luisa Garcia Toledo, the organizing committee's press officer, said the march was proposed by several organizations of former political prisoners concerned by what they saw as disinformation about the situation in Cuba.
``That became evident when the Miami Archdiocese announced that a cruise ship would take pilgrims to Cuba during the pope's visit,'' she said.
Pope John Paul II is expected to visit the island Jan. 21-25. The 1,000-passenger Norwegian Majesty is scheduled to steam to Havana on Jan. 23, drop anchor offshore and enable its passengers to attend a papal Mass on Jan. 25 in the Cuban capital before returning to Miami the following morning.
The archdiocese has said that the cruise ship will carry not only Cuban exiles, but also Catholics of every nationality living in the United States.
According to Garcia, however, the voyage could convey to the world the message that Cuban exiles are trying to normalize relations with Castro. That's the wrong message, she said.
``Even though most of those making the trip will be Americans, the perception will be that they're Cuban exiles,'' Garcia said. ``That's why we oppose the trip.''
Copyright © 1997 The Miami Herald