'U.S. hands off Cuba'
Demonstrations demanding "U.S. hands off Cuba"
took place in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Diego, San
Fran cisco and New York City on May 17 to 20.
The May 20 protests, called by the ANSWER coalition, were
planned in anticipation of a speech President George W. Bush
was to make that day. The press had speculated that he would
announce the adoption of more hostile measures against
Cuba.
Instead, Bush held a small meeting with Cuban emigres. His
"speech," a radio address that lasted only about a minute,
talked in broad generalities about "freedom." This was seen as
a betrayal by right-wing Cuban-Americans, who have been
pressing for "regime change" in Cuba. Three Republican
congresspeople from Florida did not attend the White House
meeting. Rep. Robert Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey,
immediately attacked Bush for "not living up to your promises"
and "playing on the emotions of the Cuban-American
community."
All this indicates disarray within this reactionary
administration, which has its hands full trying to subdue Iraq
and the rest of the Middle East.
The demonstrators in solidarity with Cuba denounced the Bush
administration for ordering the expulsion of 14 Cuban diplomats
on May 13--seven from Wash ington and seven from the United
Nations--without a shred of evidence to back up the charge that
they engaged in "inappropriate and unacceptable
activities."
Protesters viewed the expulsions as simply one more act of
U.S. aggression in its more than 40-year history of terror,
economic strangulation and assault on the self-determination of
the Cuban people.
The New York actions were also called to counter efforts by
right-wing Cubans who, emboldened by Bush's "endless war," were
trying to disrupt the functions of the Cuban Mission to the
United Nations in New York and the Cuban Interests Section in
Washington.
Demonstrators who converged outside the Westwood Federal
Building in Los Angeles on May 20 expressed solidarity with the
Cuban Revolution and demanded that the Bush administration halt
its menacing rhetoric and its escalation of threats against
Cuban sovereignty.
John Parker, organizer for the Inter na tional Action
Center, said that the fact that Bush's speech made no mention
of any new sanctions against Cuba shows what disarray these war
makers are in. "It also demonstrates that it is imperative that
we remain vigilant and organize a people's defense of the Cuban
Revolution against the imperialist aims of the United
States."
Adrian Garcia and Bill Hackwell contributed to this
report.
Reprinted from the May 29, 2003, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
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