Protesters Accuse Envoys of Assault

                  By Karen DeYoung and Sylvia Moreno
                  Washington Post Staff Writers
 

                  The first allegations that the Elian Gonzalez controversy has come to blows
                  between the Cuban government and those trying to keep the 6-year-old
                  away from it were made yesterday, as all concerned spent a fourth anxious
                  day awaiting a federal court decision in the custody case.

                  The D.C. police department yesterday said it was investigating allegations
                  made by a group of demonstrators who said they were assaulted by
                  Cuban diplomats on the sidewalk outside the Cuban Interests Section on
                  16th Street NW on Friday evening. The Clinton administration has
                  demanded an explanation for the incident from Cuba; Cuba has demanded
                  that local law enforcement provide better protection.

                  In Miami, a crowd of protesters continuing their vigil outside the Little
                  Havana home of Lazaro Gonzalez, Elian's great-uncle, was swept
                  repeatedly by rumors that federal officials were on their way to pick up the
                  boy. But government officials said they would honor their agreement with
                  the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta to wait for its ruling on
                  one of the issues in the case before moving to reunite Elian with his Cuban
                  father.

                  The last legal briefs were submitted Friday night; officials had expected a
                  decision by Monday.

                  In Washington, Secret Service spokesman John Tomlinson said the Friday
                  incident occurred about 7:30 p.m., when "a group of individuals that exited
                  the Interests Section itself came outside and apparently had a verbal
                  altercation" with demonstrators.

                  "That verbal altercation escalated," he said. "Uniform division officers that
                  were on site . . . interceded and separated the parties and reestablished
                  control." Tomlinson said no arrests were made and there were no injuries
                  reported at the time. But he said the response of officers on the scene was
                  being reviewed by headquarters.

                  Sgt. Joe Gentile, a D.C. police spokesman, confirmed that Third District
                  detectives also were investigating the incident as a simple assault to "see if
                  there is enough evidence or information available to obtain an arrest
                  warrant."

                  As word of the incident spread over the weekend, Cuban American
                  advocates of the Miami relatives began to call for action. On Monday,
                  Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas wrote to Secretary of State Madeleine
                  K. Albright to demand that the United States "forcefully protest" to the
                  Cuban government. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) wrote yesterday to
                  both Albright and FBI Director Louis J. Freeh requesting "a fair review of
                  the incident."

                  Miami Mayor Joe Carollo flew to Washington to spotlight the action of
                  what he called common criminals shielded by diplomatic immunity. In a
                  news conference across the street from the Cuban Interests Section
                  yesterday, Carollo said he also came to defend South Florida's Cuban
                  Americans, who he said had been unfairly characterized by the news media
                  as violence-prone and politically incorrect.

                  Four of the demonstrators appeared with Carollo to describe the scuffle as
                  unprovoked. Estrella Carie Noda, who said she is a federal employee in
                  Key West, Fla., said she was "tossed into the air. I was pummeled."

                  Catholic University law school student Mauricio Claver-Carone said he
                  was punched twice in the face and hit in the chest and that his portable
                  bullhorn was taken from him and smashed to the sidewalk.

                  "I had been speaking on the mike. We were speaking not out of hate . . .
                  we were speaking out of love and fraternity," he said. "We did not touch;
                  we did not shove."

                  An administration official said the State Department had demanded an
                  explanation during a meeting this morning with Cuban diplomats, who were
                  told "this was a very serious matter."

                  Interests Section spokesman Luis Fernandez said that "elements hostile to
                  our country" had been "performing provocative acts against the integrity
                  and dignity of our diplomat mission" and had "thrown objects through our
                  fence and also insulted our women and children." Fernandez declined to
                  describe the actions of the Cubans involved or to identify them.

                  Staff writer Sue Anne Pressley and special correspondent Catharine Skipp
                  in Miami contributed to this report.