An invitation from the Cuban Chapter of the Network of Intellectuals, Artists and Social Movements in Defense of Humanity

We writers, scientists, journalists and editors linked to the Network and present at a meeting coinciding with the annual book fair in Havana concluded that it is necessary to propose actions in response to the reactionary offensive, with neo-fascist overtones, that have been taking place in our continent and in other regions of the world in the recent period.

The participants highlighted the following aspects:

-The importance of reinforcing the work of the Network in the current situation, with the main function of breaking the media siege coming from the powerful groups that serve the interest of the national oligarchies and the Empire who work every day to confuse, deceive and misinform public opinion while demobilizing those who support just causes.

-In this disinformation campaign the corporate media has the intention to discredit leaders and progressive causes and putting into circulation, with total impunity, lies and misrepresentations to legitimize the frauds and traps that are used to dismantle the progressive processes.

-It is essential to characterize this historical stage with the utmost rigor and denounce the maneuvers of the reactionary forces, as criminal acts, violating the most elementary principles of law. While progressive forces respect the rules of the game with honesty and integrity, their enemies do not and instead act with total impunity respecting absolutely no a ethical norm.

-As a priority of our Network is to project solidarity towards Bolivarian Venezuela, which is being harassed today in the most vile ruthless way. As it was in its time the Spanish Republic, the Revolution promoted by Chávez and continued under the leadership of Nicolás Maduro, is today on the front  line of the battle against the imperialist and fascist threat.

-The Network should circulate texts and audiovisual materials that promptly disprove the falsehoods of the media machinery. This must be done with communicative efficiency, the power of synthesis and making understandable our arguments for all social sectors and in particular for the young people. Pronouncements as offensive as the words contained in Trump’s recent State of the Union and the statements of Tillerson in his tour of Latin America, should have quick and accurate responses. In the capacity of the Network to spread the messages in a coordinated way, to multiply and unite the voices defending the truth, are to a large extent the core of our possibilities for influencing  public opinion.

– We must continue working to articulate the work of numerous centers of cultural resistance that exist in the world and to attract activists of the next generations.

-The Network of Intellectuals, Artists and Social Movements “In Defense of Humanity”, founded in 2003, supported from the beginning by Fidel and Chávez, is more necessary in the present time than ever before. It has to be an everyday factor of articulation, clarification and mobilization.

Included in those attending the event were: from Venezuela, Luis Britto García, Judith Valencia, Vladimir Acosta, Alberto Rodríguez Carucci, María Teresa Novo, Rafael Salazar, María Antonieta Catania and Ernesto Chávez; from México, Héctor Díaz Polanco; from Colombia, Hernando Calvo Ospina; from  Argentina, Víctor Hugo Morales, Graciela Ramírez, Martín Grifo Adorno y Héctor Celano; from Spain España, Pascual Serrano y Joaquín Recio Martínez; from Italy, Luciano Vasapollo and Rita Martufi; from Canadá, Arnold August; from Chile, Jaime Quezada; from Ecuador, Raúl Pérez Torres and Antonio Correa Losada; from Cuba, Abel Prieto Jiménez, Omar González, Luis Suárez, Ernesto Limia, Lillian Álvarez and Enrique Ubieta.

Source: Network in Defense of Humanity