DC says, ‘Hands off Cuba!’
Washington, DC – On the evening of June 3, organizers and community members from around the DMV (DC, Mayland and Virginia) area rallied outside the Cuban embassy to demand hands off Cuba and an end to U.S. imperialism and intervention abroad.
This action was in response to the National Network on Cuba (NNOC) calling for a national day of action after a U.S. indictment of Raúl Castro on May 20. June 3 marks the 95th birthday of the revolutionary leader.
The group was small but mighty, and chants like “No boots on the ground, no bombs in the air, U.S. out of everywhere!” and “Yankee, go home!” rang up and down the street. Many passersby were supportive and took flyers explaining the effects of the increased sanctions on Cuba, including an increased infant mortality rate of 148%.
“We are gathered here today to demand an end to these pointless sanctions, these pointless bombs, and these pointless wars that don’t benefit anyone except for Donald Trump and his racist, reactionary agenda,” began Katie Sayour of the Anti-War Committee DMV, “We say shame on Donald Trump as he drags us into yet another war.”
“Let us make no mistake,” said Ermiya Fanaeian, a member of the Action for Cuba Committees, “Cuba is a peaceful nation. Cuba is not responsible for bombing countries around the world. Cuba is not responsible for taking away our rights as queer people, as Black people, as immigrants, as women, as workers.”
At some point, as the protesters were chanting “Yankee, go home,” they were confronted by a counter-protester carrying signs in support of a U.S. invasion of Cuba, at which point calls to “go home” were directed toward the counter-protester until they were removed from the area. Another individual drove by and shouted in opposition to the demonstration, while many other drivers honked in support of the anti-war message as well as pro-immigrant signs held by those in attendance.
Sayour also connected the demonstration for speaking out against US aggression on Cuba to the ICE crackdown on immigrants who speak out against U.S. aggression overseas, namely the case of Yousof Azizi, an Iranian immigrant detained by ICE in Maryland after his public opposition to the war in Iran.
“Yousof Azizi was kidnapped by ICE for speaking out against the war, kidnapped for using his First Amendment rights, just as we are using right now,” Sayour continues. “We see materially how it can happen to any of us, and so it is our duty to stand with people like Yousof Azizi, with people like Salah Sarsour. It is our duty to stand with Cuba, it is our duty to stand with Venezuela, to stand with China, to stand with all oppressed people of the world.”
National Network on Cuba: @nationalnetworkoncuba
Ant-War Committee DMV: @antiwar.dmv
Yousof Azizi: https://yousofazizi.com/