By Marisol Ramirez Palacios on June 26, 2023
Fernando Gonzalez Llort
The president of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) Fernando González Llort, sent a message of thanks to the participants in the marches and demonstrations against the blockade and for the removal of Cuba from the list of countries sponsoring terrorism, which took place this weekend in more than 30 cities in the United States and other nations.
Gonzalez Llort made public the gratitude at the conclusion of the presentation, at the ICAP headquarters, of the third edition of the book Solidarity without Borders, a compilation of 45 speeches, reflections and interventions by the historical leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz, published by the Ocean Sur publishing house in conjunction with ICAP.
“We want to take advantage of the launching of this book, precisely on this high point of solidarity, to thank so many friends of Cuba, who for so many years have expressed their solidarity with us, in various ways in different parts of the world and especially I want to mention what took place in recent days in the United States, mainly organized by the National Network on Cuba (NNOC), along with other solidarity organizations who participated, including Cubans living in the United States. During the past week demonstrations were organized in over 30 US cities demanding the end of the blockade against Cuba and that Cuba be removed from the list of countries sponsoring terrorism”
The ICAP president made particular mention of the march on Sunday that went to the front in of the White House where 500 people demanded the end of the blockade and that Cuba be dropped from the State Sponsor of Terrorists (SSOT).
The hero of the republic also mentioned the visits made to many offices of the US congress during the past week including to Senator Robert Menendez where 3 representatives of the NNOC, including two co chairs; Calla Walsh and Gail Walker, director of Pastors for Peace, who were arrested for only trying to speak peacefully with Menendez.
Additional recognition was given to the protests that also took place in countries in Europe and Latin America in which solidarity groups with Cuba and patriotic Cubans living abroad “who carry Cuba in their hearts participated”.
González Llort highlighted the growing strength of the international movement to denounce the U.S. blockade against the largest island of the Antilles. This awareness has increased – he said – and gave as an example the campaign organized in Europe with the participation of more than 120 organizations in 25 European countries, the creation and strengthening of the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Solidarity with Cuba, with its various communication commissions, brigades, work with trade unions and social organizations, among others.
“The people of Cuba feel accompanied by hundreds and thousands of people in the world who are in solidarity with our process, with the struggle of the Cuban people, and we are deeply grateful for it, from the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples.”
“From all of us at ICAP we want to deeply thank this mobilizing effort, this effort of denunciation of the friends of Cuba, of those people who know the injustice implied by the economic, commercial and financial blockade against our country, and the injustice implied by Cuba being on that list where it should never be”, concluded the President of ICAP.
About the book Solidarity without Borders, Gonzalez Llort, pointed out: “The starting point is that the Cuban Revolution has been the recipient of much solidarity from the beginning, and we have always seen the solidarity of Cuba with the world as something that is embedded in our identity as Cubans”.
According to the book’s prologue, half a million Cubans have fulfilled internationalist missions as doctors, builders, teachers and in other missions, in more than 50 countries.
Source: Cuba en Resumen