On the weekend of July 10-11, a series of counter-revolutionary provocations took place in Cuba in the form of street protests blaming the socialist government for the shortages of medical supplies, fuel and food caused by the unilateral U.S. blockade, which was tightened by Donald Trump and enforced by Joe Biden. The Cuban government has identified U.S.-funded opposition groups and media outlets as the source of these provocations.
In a televised address to the Cuban people on July 11, President Miguel Díaz-Canel denounced the destabilization attempt emanating from Washington, D.C., and Miami. He reviewed the serious problems caused by the tightening of the U.S. blockade under Trump and Biden, after the brief thaw in relations under President Obama. He urged the Cuban people to take to the streets to defend their Revolution and to continue fighting alongside people worldwide for an end to the cruel blockade.
“The streets belong to the revolutionaries,” Díaz-Canel proclaimed. In response, workers, farmers, students and members of the revolutionary armed forces held demonstrations Sunday across the island in support of the Cuban Revolution and its leadership. Many carried portraits of the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro. Earlier, President Díaz-Canel himself went to San Antonio de los Baños, a small town south of Havana where the provocations began, where he walked through the streets and held discussions with the people.
It is now apparent why President Biden’s administration hasn’t reversed Trump’s cruel intensification of the blockade, as he had promised during his election campaign. The U.S. capitalist ruling class, the bosses and bankers who call the shots for both the Republicans and Democrats, are united in their hatred of Cuba. After the retirement of former president and Communist Party leader Raul Castro earlier this year, the U.S. bosses are testing for cracks in the Cuban government and military that they can exploit to destroy the Revolution.
The hypocrisy of U.S.-funded “human rights” and “independent media” groups is blatant. They are trying to stir up anger at the Cuban government among people affected by shortages which are purely the responsibility of the U.S. government and its six-decade criminal blockade.
Despite the difficulties imposed by the blockade, Cuba has done so much in the past 18 months to help protect not only its own people, but poor and working people around the world, from the scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has sent medical brigades to dozens of countries to help combat the virus. Cuba has even developed its own very effective vaccines — but lacks the necessary syringes to administer doses to the people because of the cruel blockade.
Nor is it a coincidence that this is happening just days after the assassination of the discredited U.S. puppet president of Haiti, Jovenel Moïse, in a sophisticated operation carried out by U.S. and Colombian mercenaries. The new acting leaders of Haiti have already called for the intervention of U.S. troops. A U.S. occupation of Haiti could serve as the launching pad for an invasion of Cuba.
The U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, site of ongoing “War on Terror” torture of prisoners, is on illegally-occupied Cuban territory. This is a cancerous tumor that threatens not only Cuba but Haiti and all of the Caribbean.
The U.S. rulers have never forgiven the people of Haiti for carrying out the first successful slave revolution. Likewise, they’ve never forgiven the Cuban people for carrying out the first socialist revolution in the Western hemisphere right under their noses — and successfully defending it for over 62 years.
But significantly, this attack also comes at a time when the U.S. blockade is more unpopular than ever. More and more people in the U.S. and around the world have been coming out in the streets to denounce the blockade with monthly caravans. Cuban American opponents of the blockade are currently participating in a 1,300-mile protest walk to Washington, D.C. Dozens of cities and labor councils have adopted resolutions calling for an end to the blockade and medical cooperation with Cuba. Solidarity groups in many countries are collecting #Syringes4Cuba — including in the U.S., where $500,000 has been raised so far.
And, on June 23, 184 countries in the United Nations General Assembly once again supported Cuba’s resolution against the blockade. Only the U.S. and its tool Israel voted against it.
Now is the time for every worker, every progressive person, every revolutionary, to lift their voice and come to the defense of Cuba, which has done so much to give the world health, solidarity and hope for a humane future.
U.S. hands off Cuba! No intervention in Cuba or Haiti! End the blockade now!
Support the international solidarity campaign to bring Cuba tens of millions of medical syringes by visiting Ghpartners.org/syringes4Cuba.
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