‘The Revolution is defended by the revolutionaries! And among the revolutionaries the communists are going to the front. Never as an elite, but as a conscious and committed force… The streets belong to the revolutionaries!’ Cuban President and First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel.
On 12 July members and supporters of the Revolutionary Communist Group, and our campaign in solidarity with socialist Cuba and revolutionary Latin America, Rock Around the Blockade, heeded the call by the Cuban Communist Party to take to the streets in defence of the Cuban Revolution. The RCG and RATB organised a protest outside of the Cuban Embassy in London in solidarity with those in Cuba protesting in defence of socialism and against imperialist intervention. We were joined by members of the Bolivia Solidarity Campaign, Papua Militant International, Free Julian Assange Campaign, Socialist Appeal and the Communist Party of Britain.
Attempts to promote social unrest in Cuba, to justify intervention, have been orchestrated from the United States. On 11 July small groups within Cuba went out to declare their opposition to the Revolution (see our statement here). The response of the Cuban leadership was to go straight to meet the protesters, joining Cubans who had gone out to oppose this provocation. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel held dialogue with people at the site and then lead a march in defence of the Cuban Revolution and Cuban socialism.
Diaz-Canel then went on national television to speak to the people. He recognised the difficulties Cuba is suffering with the pandemic and the economic crisis created by the 60-year long genocidal US blockade, intensified by the Trump administration which hit Cuba with an additional 243 measures, actions and sanctions. Diaz-Canel recognised genuine concern among the population but advised the population not to be confused about who was behind these protests. He denounced US based provocations and the mercenaries in Cuba who live off the money they receive through regime change programmes. He gave an impassioned defence of the revolution and socialism and called revolutionaries to take to the streets. After that, Cubans marched in the streets in cities and towns around the country.
‘The example of the Cuban Revolution has bothered the [US] a lot for 60 years and their aggression has been constantly increasing… The [Cuban] state has all the political will to dialogue, but also to participate. We will not hand over our sovereignty nor the independence of this nation. They have to pass over our corpses if they want to overthrow the Revolution.’ Diaz-Canel
The latest attempts by the US to co-ordinate a ‘soft coup’ in Cuba have failed. There are millions of Cubans who will do whatever it takes to defend the Cuban Revolution and Cuban socialism. The RCG and RATB protested in solidarity with these Cubans. A small number of reactionary Cubans harassed comrades outside of the Embassy in London; their anti-revolutionary character was clear from their vandalising of a revolutionary M-26-7 flag while one prostrated himself under an England flag in a gesture of pleading to imperialism.
We refused police attempts to remove us from outside of the Embassy until the reactionaries had given up and gone home after being drowned out by our speeches and chants of ‘yo soy Fidel’. We proved that the streets DO belong to the revolutionaries.
Viva Cuba socialista! Join us today in building an anti-imperialist, socialist movement, inspired by revolutionary Cuba, on the streets of Britain!
