‘Mission Against Terror’ documentary goes on tour

Following are excerpts.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Labor Center of 1199/SEIU of the National Health Care and Hospital Workers Union was the venue for a presentation by Bernie Dwyer, co-director of the documentary “Mission Against Terror” (an Irish/Cuban co-production) and Father Geoffrey Bottoms, executive member of the U.K. Cuba Solidarity Campaign and coordinator of the U.K. National Campaign to Free the Cuban 5 on Feb. 4 in New York City.

This acclaimed documentary regarding the case of Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando Gonzalez, and Rene Gonzalez, five Cubans unjustly imprisoned in the United States for working to prevent terrorist attacks against Cuba, will be shown in a number of East Coast cities.

The Cuban 5 have been illegally held in U.S. jails since 1998 and denied family visits and bail after nearly two years of being in solitary confinement.

A U.S.-based coalition of Cuba solidarity, civic, cultural, and religious organizations active in the international campaign to free the Cuban 5 are hosting the tour as part of renewed efforts to obtain justice and freedom for these imprisoned Cuban patriots.

Hundreds gathered at the labor center to join filmmaker Dwyer and Father Bottoms at a screening of the documentary. Cuban Ambassador to the United Nations Rodrigo Malmierca provided an update on the case and expressed appreciation for the growing solidarity movement. Information regarding the initiatives underway to secure the freedom of these 5 Cubans was shared with participants.

In Boston, “Mission against Terror” will be presented by Professor Noam Chomsky at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on Feb. 8 and other venues including Washington, D.C., Rhode Island and Maine.

For more information about the case, the ongoing campaign to free the Cuban 5, and/or to purchase the DVD of “Mission Against Terror”, contact:

* Leftbooks@action-mail.org

* National Committee to Free the Five
2489 Mission St., #24,
San Francisco, CA 94110
www.freethefive.org
freethefive@freethefive.org
(415) 821-6545

* NY Committee to Free the Cuban 5
39 West 14th St., Suite 206,
New York, NY 10011
(212) 633-6646
info@FreeTheFiveNY.org

* Popular Education Project
to Free the Cuban 5
2824 University Ave., Bronx, NY 10468
www.freethecuban5.com
FreetheCubanFive@hotmail.com
(718) 601-4751

The writer is a member of the New York Organizing Committee for the tour.