FRFI 205 October / November 2008
12 September marked the tenth anniversary of the incarceration of the Cuban 5. On 13 September, as part of an International Day of Action to demand freedom for the five Cuban men, held as political prisoners in the US for the ‘crime’ of investigating terrorist acts against their country, Rock around the Blockade (RATB) held rallies and protests around the country.
In Manchester Rock around the Blockade held a lively protest in Piccadilly Gardens with speeches about what Cuban socialism has achieved in the face of a constant political war against it, led by the US. Hundreds of passers by signed petitions demanding justice for the Cuban 5. The word is gradually spreading around Manchester about this appalling miscarriage of justice; as one local man put it: ‘It’s ridiculous – they’ve been locked up just for being communists’.
In London, Rock around the Blockade draped the east side of Trafalgar Square with banners, flags and placards and welcomed speakers from the Marti-Maceo Organisation of Cubans in Britain and the Revolutionary Communist Group. Rock around the Blockade highlighted the hypocrisy of the imperialist so-called ‘war on terror’, that gaols freedom fighters such as the Cuban 5 while letting anti-Cuban terrorists such as Posada Carriles walk free.
Comrades in Glasgow and Dundee have been active on the streets campaigning in solidarity with the Cuban 5 and for the closure of the US naval base and torture camp at Guantanamo Bay, with hundreds of people signing their petition.
Meanwhile, the campaign to force Lloyds TSB bank to stop implementing the US blockade continues, with a second demonstration in London outside its Camden branch on 16 August. In June, the bank wrote to its business customers informing them they could no longer use Lloyds to make payments to Cuba. We oppose these bullying and discriminatory tactics and ask supporters – in particular anyone with a Lloyds TSB account – to write letters of protest to Phil Markey, Relationships Manager, Lloyds Bank, 25 Gresham Street, London EC2V 7HN.
Over the summer, alongside regular meetings and street events, Rock around the Blockade also raised thousands of pounds working in the Workers’ Beer Company tents at festivals up and down the country. This contributes much-needed funds for our work in Britain in solidarity with the Cuban revolution, allowing the campaign to expand and ensuring that we are able to donate material aid to Cuba.
Public meetings in Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow, Dundee, and London have been organised for education and discussion about Cuba’s achievements, based on the Rock around the Blockade pamphlet Revolutionary Cuba: the streets are ours. These discussions and debates have touched on health and education, women in the revolution, the fight against racism in Cuba, gay rights in Cuba, the energy revolution and the Special Period and always come round to comparing Cuba to Britain, highlighting what is possible under socialism. In Glasgow and Dundee, RATB is having regular film showings, in collaboration with FRFI, as part of a Rebel Film series. Check our website (www.ratb.org.uk) for details of all forthcoming events, get involved, join Rock around the Blockade!
