NYC rally demands: “Stop the U.S. blockade of Cuba!”

Oct. 27 — A rally at Grand Central Terminal in midtown Manhattan demanded an end to the cruel U.S. economic war against Cuba. Just within the last year, U.S. sanctions have cost the Caribbean country $5 billion.

The sanctions prevented Cuba from replacing transformers and other equipment, which resulted in the recent electrical outages there. The rally was held a few days before the United Nations is scheduled to again overwhelmingly pass a resolution condemning the blockade, as it has done for over 20 years.

Many organizations came together to build this event. December 12th Movement members provided security.

The Rude Mechanical Orchestra accompanied the rally wonderfully.

Venceremos Brigade members carried a banner saying “Hands Off Cuba.”

The two co-chairs were Justine Medina of the Young Communist League, an Amazon union activist, and Danny Valdes of the Democratic Socialists of America. Both grew up in Cuban immigrant families.

Brooklyn’s State Senator Jabari Brisport denounced the blockade. He asked the capitalist establishment, “If you think that socialism doesn’t work, why do you blockade Cuba?”

Vinson Verdree of the December 12th Movement reminded everyone that when Africa called, Cuba answered. Two thousand Cuban soldiers gave their lives alongside their African comrades in defeating the old South African apartheid armies.

Representing the Bronx Anti-War Coalition was Richie Merino, who denounced the blockade.

Two recent graduates of the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) in Havana spoke of the free education they received there. Both of the young doctors are now helping poor people in the U.S.

More than 200 ELAM graduates work in U.S. hospitals and clinics. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez has announced that Cuba is giving 200 scholarships to Palestinian medical students.

Speakers denounced the hypocrisy of the U.S. in putting Cuba on its State Sponsors of Terrorism list while supplying the bombs to kill Palestinian and Lebanese Children.

The crowd welcomed long-time Cuban solidarity activists Rosemari Mealy, J.D., Ph.D., and Gail Walker, Executive Director of the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO).

Mealy described the efforts of people in the U.S. to raise funds to purchase hundreds of pacemakers for Cuban heart patients. Walker encouraged people to visit Cuba and find out the truth about the accomplishments of the Cuban revolution.

That’s good advice. U.S. hands off Cuba!