FRFI 203 June / July 2008
All over the country Rock around the Blockade groups are busy organising lively and informative events, bringing together people of all ages in support of socialist Cuba. Find out what’s been going on near you and check the events list to see what’s coming up.
Manchester
A new monthly film night, Cine Revolution, started with a film about Venezuela on 18 May. The discussion afterwards reflected the desire of those present to know more about developments in Cuba, Venezuela and throughout Latin America. The next film is on 8 June (see events listing).
Scotland
RATB groups in Dundee and Edinburgh are being established following the successful speaking tour meetings in Glasgow. Comrades joined the annual May Day demonstration through Edinburgh, displaying banners in support of the Cuban Five and the Cuban Revolution. Dundee comrades have screened a series of films exploring the revolutionary democratic movements in Latin America. On 31 May, an RATB day school at Glasgow University looked at Revolution and Socialism in Latin America. RATB activists across Scotland are building for a demonstration in support of the Cuban Five on 26 July in Edinburgh, including a protest outside the US consulate.
North East
The local RATB group in Newcastle has greatly expanded, with new people taking on responsibilities to organise film showings, educationals and street events. A local group in Durham is coming together, with a public meeting on the history of miners’ struggles in Durham and Cuba planned for July. From 11 to 14 April an anti-imperialist weekend on the theme of ‘Latin America: socialism and revolution’ took place near Harrogate, attended by RATB activists from Newcastle, Sunderland, Manchester and Glasgow. They discussed the wider international context, the theory and practice of the Cuban Revolution and its relevance to building a movement for socialism in Britain.
London
Educational meetings took place on 15 April and 13 May based around the RATB pamphlet, Revolutionary Cuba: the streets are ours. At the first of these Helen Yaffe from the Institute for the Study of the Americas introduced the history of Cuba up to 1959. The second meeting looked at the period from 1959 to the special period of the 1990s. At both meetings time was devoted to organising stalls publicising the case of the Cuban 5 at the Love Music, Hate Racism Festival on 27 April and at Wood Green on 4 May. There was also a rally for the Cuban 5 held in Trafalgar Square on 19 April and a screening of Salud!, an award winning documentary about Cuban health care on 7 May in north London. The organising and educational meetings will continue on a monthly basis (next events: 10 June and 8 July) and are open to all those who support socialist Cuba.
Email [email protected] to get involved in an existing RATB group, or to start one near you.
