Cuba supporters demand U.S. vote at UN to end blockade of Cuba
Minneapolis, MN – On October 28, Cuba solidarity activists rallied at the Federal Building in downtown Minneapolis to demand the Biden administration vote at the UN to end the economic war on Cuba. For 32 years, the United Nations has voted every year almost unanimously to end the cruel economic blockade against Cuba which the U.S. has imposed for over 60 years. To tighten the noose, in 2021 the U.S. added the designation of Cuba as a “state sponsor of terrorism” (SSOT) a ridiculous charge that leads to only more sanctions.
This vote took place while Cuba is experiencing a severe power outage. For over a week the entire island has had little to no electricity up to 20 hours a day due to fuel shortages and lack of equipment to repair the infrastructure because of the brutal U.S. blockade.
The demonstrators heard from several speakers including Gary Prevost, a member of the MN Cuba Committee, who said, “There is a groundswell of support to remove Cuba from the SSOT list here in Minnesota and around the country, including resolutions from 120 labor unions and cities as large as NYC, Washington DC and San Francisco.” Prevost also spoke of the U.S. role in the blackout, saying, “Make no mistake, the recent blackout in Cuba occurred because of a lack of fuel, and that’s directly a result of the fact that ships carrying badly need fuel, can’t dock in Cuba because most are insured by U.S. companies.”
Joe Callahan, a member of the Solidarity Committee on the Americas, described the concerns of a visiting Cuban, stating, “We were fortunate to have Cuban filmmaker Gloria Rolando here with us last weekend. She lives in central Havana, and she said people on the street were feeling at the end of their rope, “finito.” She fears it will mean an ongoing exit from the country by young people. The population has declined by a million people in the last few years.”
Amina Sheikh, a trade unionist who recently visited Cuba, spoke about how inspired she is by the gains Cuba has made for its people and its importance in the world. Sheikh emphasized, “Cuba has a history of internationalism and solidarity. It has been so generous in giving scholarships to people from all over the world, including countries under attack from the U.S. like Palestine and Syria. In spite of crippling U.S. sanctions, it teaches the world how to be generous.”
The rally concluded with Robyn Harbison, a Cuban-American who is the director of Women Against Military Madness, describing the current dire hardships the people are experiencing since the beginning of the blackouts on October 18, stating, “There have been failures in the obsolete water system, meaning no running water for most of the island, food and medicine are spoiling without refrigeration, there is no air conditioning, and essential workers are home indefinitely. This is the total fault of the U.S. sanctions and blockade.”
The activists vowed to stand with Cuba now and forever and to double down efforts to fight to take Cuba off the “terrorist” list and to end the U.S. blockade on this heroic island and shining example for the world.