Moreno, 80, whose group advocates dialogue with the Cuban government and opposes the U.S. trade embargo, struck Zayon during a news conference at ATC headquarters in West Miami. The group was featuring two Cuban rafters who traveled to the island recently with the approval of the Cuban government.
Moments before the incident, Andres Gomez, president of the pro-dialogue Antonio Maceo Brigade, criticized harshly the work of Spanish-language reporters, singling out Zayon and Maria Montoya of WLTV-Channel 23.
``The print medium, television and radio play along with the right-wingers,'' Gomez said. ``You [reporters], and particularly Zayon, manipulate information, distort facts and ask insidious questions.''
Looking straight at Zayon, he said: ``You are a sensation-seeker; you are a bad journalist,'' and threatened to evict him from the room. Zayon walked over to the speakers' table, picked up a microphone he had left there to record the news conference and said to Gomez: ``You're a coward, not much of a man and a traitor.''
Moreno, who was sitting next to Gomez, stood up and slapped Zayon with the back of his right hand. The reporter turned around and signaled to police officers nearby that he had been struck.
``I am indeed a fidelista,'' shouted Moreno, as the officers led him, handcuffed, to a waiting police car. ``I do support the revolution and I'll say it up front.''
Moreno was released Wednesday night on $1,500 bail.
Almost forgotten in the heat of events were the two rafters who were supposed to be the center of attention at the news conference.
Arturo Alvarez, 43, a gardener, and Pablo Pulido, 60, a plumber, came to the United States asking for political asylum. Now they say they are economic refugees.
``Like almost all other rafters, I left Cuba for economic reasons,'' Pulido said.
Last month, they were in a group of 24 Cubans who returned to the island and stayed there from March 8-29, courtesy of the Cuban Institute of Friendship to Peoples.
``They treated us very well in Cuba,'' Pulido said. ``We went to visit our families, not to engage in politics.''
Copyright © 1997 The Miami Herald