On Saturday 12 December activists rallied in London’s Trafalgar Square in solidarity with socialist Cuba and in opposition to the US economic blockade of Cuba and other imperialist aggression against the island.
The protest was called by Rock around the Blockade, the Revolutionary Communist Group’s campaign in solidarity with Cuba and progressive movements in Latin America. The event was supported by activists from Latin America, West Papua Militant International, the Communist League and others. The crowd was addressed by speakers addressing different aspects of imperialist aggression against Cuba, the US blockade, the complicity of British imperialism, and the advances of Cuban socialism in medicine – notably in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic – and environmental sustainability. Cuba’s advances despite the blockade stand in stark contrast to the disastrous handling of the pandemic in Britain and the US, and the unwillingness of the imperialist nations to take the threat of climate crisis seriously.
The demonstration marched from Trafalgar Square to the Brazilian Embassy, highlighting the reactionary role being played by the pro-imperialist government of Jair Bolsonaro and the US-dominated Organisation of American States (OAS). Bolsonaro has led sustained attacks on Cuba and progressives throughout the continent, including expelling Cuba’s internationalist medical brigades in November 2018.
For over 60 years, the US has imposed an illegal and genocidal blockade on socialist Cuba. US imperialism has attempted to overthrow the Cuban revolution ever since its triumph in 1959, using political, economic and terrorist attacks. The US blockade is designed to strangle the Cuban economy, bringing extraordinary hardships on ordinary Cubans. They are punishing the whole population of Cuba just so they can bring capitalism back into the island. Economic blockades are a type of warfare, that kill people and harm livelihoods all the same by denying them access to essential goods like food, medicines or building materials.
Every year, the United Nations General Assembly holds a vote on whether to condemn the illegal US blockade on Cuba – and every year the world stands with Cuba. For the 28th consecutive year, the vote won overwhelmingly on 2019 – only the US and the far-right governments of Israel and Brazil voted against condemning the blockade. Year by year, the US, in its attempt to isolate Cuba from its many friends and allies, is becoming more politically isolated itself.
The Trump administration has strengthened the blockade while attacking Cuba’s allies in Latin America. Nevertheless, the people of Cuba are resilient and prefer the gains brought by socialism to anything imperialism can offer. They will not bow down to US imperialism, and so they will continue building socialism in Cuba and help millions of people around the world, based on the principle of internationalism. We will continue to organise solidarity actions, learning from and publicising the advances of Cuban socialism.
IMPERIALIST HANDS OFF CUBA! SMASH THE US BLOCKADE! VIVA SOCIALIST CUBA!
