Following the success of our brigade to Cuba in April/May, Rock around the Blockade in London held its second reportback event in on 7 June at Movimientos, a monthly night of Latin American music, culture and politics in Islington. The audience particularly appreciated video footage from the brigade, for example of Cuban students talking about their role in the Revolution. At Govanhill Community Centre in South Glasgow, comrades held a special reportback meeting on 26 July, the anniversary of the 1953 attack on Moncada barracks. There was a high level of participation from local people in the discussion as ideas came up for future events and how to build the day of action for the Cuban Five on 22 September.
Fundraising continues ahead of the speaking tour in 2008 (see box). RATB volunteers worked for the Workers’ Beer Company at Glastonbury Festival and Rise Festival, earning over £1,000. We still have volunteer places at Reading Festival, 24-26 August, so get in touch.
‘Marxism 2007’, the annual public conference organised by the Socialist Workers’ Party (SWP), took place from 6-9 July. RATB London members set up a stall outside the event and intervened in meetings, to alert people to the SWP’s lies about the Cuban revolution (see pp10/11). RATB organised a meeting the following week to counter the SWP’s false analysis of the Cuban Revolution.
On 1-3 June, comrades in Manchester organised a weekend of action in solidarity with the Cuban revolution. This was kickstarted with a Friday night RATB fundraising gig in Fallowfield, featuring revolutionary musicians from Wythenshawe, Mossley and Congo. A Cuban comrade got a great response from the audience after speaking about the importance of international solidarity with the Cuban Revolution. The following day saw lively protests in Piccadilly Gardens for the release of the Cuban Five, for the extradition of Posada Carriles and for support for Cuban socialism. On the Sunday, at a public reportback meeting about the recent brigade, Comrade Kyle summed up the feelings of all who went by saying that we witnessed ‘not only the practical social and economic gains of socialism, but its life-affirming impact on social relations between human beings’.
Regular stalls have taken place in Newcastle city centre demanding the release of the Cuban Five. On 16 June RATB and FRFI activists used colourful street theatre to contrast the illegal US detention of hundreds of men at occupied Guantanamo Bay under the guise of ‘fighting terrorism’, while locking up five men whose only ‘crime’ was to work to expose terrorists based in Miami. On 21 June at a Tyneside Socialist Forum meeting on ‘What is socialism? comrades raised the example of Cuba. RATB activists also took their message to the 14 July Durham Miners’ Gala. On 28 July, the second Celebration of Resistance was held on Tyneside, celebrating the 54th anniversary of the attack on Moncada. The colourful event, with live rock music, DJs, banners and speeches faced harassment from police who demanded details of the organisers. When police tried to seize our collecting tin they were informed that their action was unlawful by a comrade who had sort prior legal advice. He was then arrested for obstruction. A picket was set up outside the police station, with support from members of the public and Tyneside Stop the War, until he was released and bailed without charge until 3 September.
We will not submit to police harassment. We will return to the streets to continue campaigning. We are organising solidarity protests across Britain in September as part of the international month of action to free the Cuban Five. Check our events listings website (see page 14) for up-to-date details, and if there’s not an event happening in your area then contact us and we’ll help you organise one. Get active! The Cubans are marching forward with socialism, it’s time we did the same!
Cuba: socialism into the 21st century Speaking tour 2008
In February-March next year we are bringing two Cuban revolutionaries to Britain for a two-week speaking tour of London, Nottingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Durham, Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Portsmouth. The two Cubans are highly regarded comrades, Rogelio Polanco, editor of the Union of Young Communists’ (UJC) national newspaper Juventud Rebelde, and Orlando Borrego, a close collaborator of Che Guevara. There is also the possibility of bringing a young woman from the UJC, if we can raise enough funds. Want to hold a meeting in your community centre, college, university of workplace? Then get in touch. Help us take the message to as many people as possible: the Cubans are coming to Britain and they are bringing a little bit of revolution with them! Join us and help make this happen.
Tel: 020 7837 1688 for details.
FRFI 198 August / September 2007
