March 8 — The following statement was released by the National Network on Cuba:
The National Network on Cuba (NNOC) unequivocally condemns statements made by President Donald Trump at the “Shield of the Americas Summit,” where he openly declared his intention to “take care of Cuba” and asserted that the island is “in its last moments of life.” These remarks are a brazen threat to Cuba’s sovereignty and a confirmation that the U.S. government’s goal is regime change, not diplomacy.
Gathering a coalition of right-wing Latin American leaders at his Doral, Florida, golf club, Trump framed Cuba’s revolutionary government as a problem to be eliminated, boasting that several leaders asked him to “take care of it.” This rhetoric follows the U.S. abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January and the recent bombing of Iran. Trump has made clear that the playbook used in Caracas is the model for what he intends for Havana.
The NNOC rejects this imperialist doctrine. The so-called “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine, which asserts a U.S. right to intervene across the Western Hemisphere, is a flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of our neighbors.
Trump’s boast that he will “use missiles” and that they are “extremely accurate” if Latin American leaders ask for help against cartels is a direct threat of military intervention masked as cooperation.
While Trump cynically praises the “cooperation” of Venezuela’s acting president as the U.S. plunders that nation’s oil and gold, he signals that Cuba — which refuses to submit — will be starved into submission.
As Cheryl LaBash, NNOC co-chair, has said, this is “an open declaration of war against the Cuban people.”
The NNOC stands in firm solidarity with Cuba. We demand that the U.S. government cease its threats, end the criminal blockade, close Guantánamo, remove Cuba from the illegitimate State Sponsors of Terrorism list, and respect the right of the Cuban people to self-determination.
We call on all people of conscience to join us in the streets during the Week of Action in Defense of Cuba (March 8–15) to show that Cuba is not alone.
¡Cuba Sí, Bloqueo No!
For more information: National Network on Cuba — NNOC.info
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