Protest Rally outside the US Embassy in Support of the Cuban People
"¡Cuba Sí, Bloqueo No!" was the cry of the Irish youth as they rallied in support of socialist Cuba and in opposition to the US blockade.
As millions of Americans celebrated their so-called Independence Day on the 4th of July, the reality of life in Cuba could not be more different. Following the intensification of 60 years of blockade by the United States, Cuba has been plunged into a situation of crisis. On the 4th of July, the Connolly Youth Movement mobilised outside the US Embassy to highlight this hypocrisy: the USA celebrating its freedom while subjecting another country to suffering and inhumanity.
The CYM speech addressed the situation in Cuba, highlighting the recent experience of its members in Cuba with the International Workers’ Day Brigade in May. There were further speakers from Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats, SIPTU, and the Cuba Solidarity Forum Ireland.
The speech outlined the situation witnessed in Cuba as a direct result of the blockade: “Hospitals left without vital medicine, blackouts commonplace, and fuel in extreme short supply.” It was further stressed that despite these threats and the dire situation faced by the Cuban people, they have not faltered, because the successes of the socialist revolution remain clear: equal access for all to free healthcare, education, and housing, and a nation free from capitalist exploitation and imperialist domination.
The speech from the CYM was clear that this is not an isolated struggle. Drawing on comparisons with the recent devastation in Venezuela, Palestine, and Iran, stating that imperialists take no issue with the disastrous consequences of their wars and aggression as they compete for supremacy and the advancement of the interests of their monopolies. Cuba stands as a beacon of hope to workers the world over, proof that a society without the exploitation of man by man is possible.
The demands are simple: the immediate end to all military escalation against Cuba, the removal of Cuba from the state sponsors of terrorism list, the end of the blockade, the return of Guantánamo Bay, and the normalisation of relations between the US and Cuba.
The rally closed with a resolute message of solidarity and a warning to the US imperialist:
“We stand with the Communist Party and the Union of Communist Youth (UJC); we support the peoples, who alone have the right to determine the course of events in their own countries. We support the common struggle of the peoples against capitalist–imperialist barbarity and the joint struggle to abolish the capitalist system of exploitation. We, along with the Cuban People, hope that a peaceful resolution can be found. However if the Americans abandon all humanity and continue down this murderous path, they will be met by the entire force of a people united by one eternal cry… Patria o Muerte… Venceremos!”