An ‘anti-communist concert’ is coming to Miami. The city’s government is a sponsor.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and Commissioner Joe Carollo don’t agree on much these days, but they were in lockstep Monday in promoting an “anti-communist concert” set for April 11 at the James L. Knight Center downtown.

In fact, all of the city’s elected officials agreed: The commission voted 5-0 to co-sponsor the event at the city-owned Knight Center and said the city would waive up to $21,500 in rental costs, broadcasting fees and police and fire services.

Suarez later indicated at a press conference that he would sign the commission’s resolution, praising what he said would be the “first anti-communism concert in the history of the city of Miami” and the United States.

“Our city represents the stories of countless individuals who have risked their lives to flee communism,” Suarez said, mentioning Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. “Each and every life that has fled communism has proven how the will to pursue democracy and freedom, even in the face of oppression, can never be suppressed or silenced.”

Twenty-two artists are scheduled to perform, including legendary Cuban-American trumpet player Arturo Sandoval and singers Willy Chirino and Amaury Gutiérrez. Emilio Estefan has also said he plans to attend the concert, though he will not be performing.

Organizers said the artists are all performing free of charge and that ticket proceeds would go toward covering their expenses.

Additional money raised will go to the nonprofit Cuban Democratic Directorate, which helps political prisoners in Cuba and their families, according to the group’s co-founder, Orlando Gutierrez-Boronat. The nonprofit’s initiatives include JusticeCuba, a group of 10 attorneys working to prosecute members of the Castro regime, Gutierrez-Boronat said.

He is organizing the concert alongside musician Frankie Marcos.

The city’s sponsorship of the event is the latest step in a newly burgeoning cultural war between Miami and Cuba, with musicians’ right to perform playing a central role. In December, Suarez and Carollo successfully advocated for the exclusion of Gente de Zona, a popular Cuban reggaeton duo, from the annual New Year’s Eve concert organized by Cuban-American artist Pitbull at Bayfront Park.

In 2017, a video was circulated in which Gente de Zona appeared on stage dancing with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, the grandson and bodyguard of former Cuban ruler Raúl Castro. Former Mayor Tomás Regalado subsequently took back the group’s honorary keys to the city, saying injuries caused by Castro’s regime “have not yet healed.”

In November, Suarez also pushed for the cancellation of a concert in Allapattah by Haila María Mompié, a Cuban artist declared persona non grata in Miami for singing to Fidel Castro about a decade ago.

Suarez has supported the federal government’s decision to deny funds to cultural exchange programs with Cuba, and he sponsored a resolution in Miami that denies local government funds and support for these types of activities.

Now, the city is putting its seal on an event intended as “a statement by Cuban musicians who are not permitted to perform in Cuba,” according to Commissioner Manolo Reyes. The idea of cultural exchange between Cuba and the United States is a “farce,” Reyes said, because artists who support the Cuban government are often allowed to perform in the U.S. while those who oppose the country’s government are prevented from performing in Cuba.

“This farce — it’s about time that we tell everybody,” Reyes said, adding that the musicians are “declaring that they are not in agreement to any part of this horrible philosophy” of communism.

The resolution approved Monday was co-sponsored by Suarez, Reyes and Carollo. Suarez took the opportunity at the press conference to blast Democratic presidential front runner Bernie Sanders, who angered many Miami politicians in a recent interview by saying it was “unfair to say everything is bad” about the Cuban revolution.

“Sadly, even now, we see individuals defend and even promote communism and socialism,” Suarez said. “Just yesterday, presidential candidate Bernie Sanders glorified socialism in a “60 Minutes” interview by defending elements of Castro’s regime.”

Suarez added: “What Senator Sanders conveniently omitted from his colorful characterization of communist Cuba was Castro’s forceful and violent imposition of power, attacking human rights and freedom of speech, thereby minimizing the sacrifice of those who fought to break free from his suffocating hand.”

The Vermont senator is a self-described Democratic socialist.

Tickets for the April concert are starting at $54 on Ticketmaster, or $82 including service fees.

This story was originally published February 24, 2020 at 4:21 PM.