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Caravan challenges U.S. blockade of Cuba

Published Jul 15, 2005 11:05 PM

Hurricane Dennis, a category 4 storm and the strongest ever recorded this early in the hurricane season, plowed through Cuba the weekend of July 9-10 after having wreaked havoc in Haiti, killing an unknown number of people there.

Even the excellent organization and solidarity in socialist Cuba, which allowed the evacuation of 1.5 million Cubans from harm’s way, could not prevent 16 deaths and extensive material damage.

Now this revolutionary country is pre paring for the arrival of solidarity brigades from the U.S. and Puerto Rico that will openly defy Washington’s travel restrictions. They are protesting the economic blockade of the island, which has lasted more than 45 years.

This year the 36th contingent of the Venceremos Brigade and the 16th U.S.-Cuba Friendshipment Caravan, both from the United States, plus the 14th Juan Rius Rivera Brigade from Puerto Rico are challenging the ban by traveling to Cuba. They return to the U.S. mainland or its territory on Aug. 1.

The caravan is organized by IFCO/ Pastors for Peace, which is rooted in the advancement of the struggles of oppressed people for justice and self-determination.

Hundreds of IFCO activists will travel hundreds of miles throughout the U.S. with tons of humanitarian aid for Cuba before they cross the U.S.-Mexican border en route to Tampico, Mexico. They’ll do this without a license from the U.S. government.

Pastors for Peace is dedicated to defying the travel ban and refuses a license even when the U.S. government tries to force one on them. IFCO Executive Director Rev. Lucius Walker explains that defying the U.S. travel ban is in the fine tradition of the civil rights movement, where the adage “Without struggle there is no progress” rings true.

The caravan’s high spirit of struggle has brought a huge amount of attention to Cuba, the blockade and the travel ban. In its first week, a Google search on Cuba turned up two articles on the caravan in the first five listings. This shows that much progress can be made to reach the people of the United States with the truth about U.S.-Cuba relations.

Some 120 people have already traveled 14 routes throughout the U.S. Their caravans will converge in south Texas on July 17 and cross into Mexico on July 21. They will return from Cuba across the U.S.-Mexico border on Aug. 1.

“I had the opportunity to be a caravan spokesperson for a short piece of the route,” said Teresa Gutierrez, a co-director of the International Action Center and New York Coordinator of the Free the Cuban Five Committee.

It was exciting, she said, to see the tremendous support that both the caravan and Cuba have in this country. Five of the buses traveling to Cuba on the caravan are named for the Cuban Five—five Cuban defenders held in U.S. jails. Gutierrez was on the bus named for Ramón Labañino. Gutierrez has visited him in prison: “I had a special feeling of solidarity to be on that particular bus.”

The caravan’s goal is to bring attention to the fact that the people of this country are denied the right to travel to Cuba and that the longest economic blockade in U.S. history has been imposed against a country whose government is providing free health care and free education for its people. The caravan also wants to spread awareness about Cuba’s Latin American School of Medicine, where U.S. students can study medicine for free as guests of the Cuban government.

“People who feel solidarity with Cuba and those who defend the right to travel should be on the alert to support the caravan as it crosses into Mexico July 21 and crosses back into the U.S. on Aug. 1,” said Gutierrez.

She added, that, “In addition to the Pastors for Peace Caravan, dozens more people are defying the travel ban and participating in the travel challenge with the Venceremos Brigade and the U.S.-Cuba Labor Exchange. Anyone who would like more information is invited to visit www.pastorsforpeace.org or www.iacenter.org.

The Venceremos Brigade is an anti-imperialist educational project ( www.venceremosbrigade.org). The Juan Rius Rivera Brigade is a political project from the Solidarity Committee with Cuba in Puerto Rico (solidaridad_cuba.tripod.com).