November 19, 2024
On the second day of the summit, the Landless Workers Movement dedicated the entire day to the work of a people’s tribunal against imperialism. The crimes recognized by this tribunal were the genocide of peoples, as exemplified by the massacre committed by the Zionist regime and its allies against the Palestinian people; the promotion of poverty through austerity policies and free trade agreements, referring specifically to the agreement negotiated between MERCOSUR and the European Union; economic warfare and the violation of the sovereignty and self-determination of peoples, such as the illegal blockade imposed by the United States on the Cuban people and the harassment of the authorities in Haiti; and, finally, structural and environmental racism, which evoked cases of murders of young people of African descent in Rio de Janeiro and the collapse of the Fundão dam in Mariana (MG) in 2015, the effects of which still persist.
The first to take the floor was Palestinian activist Rula Shaheed, director of the Palestinian Institute for Public Democracy (PIPD), who moved the audience present at Fundição Progresso: “We, the Palestinian people, have suffered for 76 years under continuous colonial actions, manifested in the denial of the refugees’ right of return, the establishment of checkpoints, the confiscation of land and collective punishment by violent means, including military bombardments.” The activist also shared figures on the atrocities committed by Israeli forces in the Palestinian territories: “assassinations, forced displacement, house demolitions and arrests.”
Finally, Judge Simone Nassif delivered a lengthy sentence, “In the face of the sovereign decision of the jury, I consider the application valid and declare that the false solutions offered by the capitalist system are illegitimate and condemn imperialism for the crimes of genocide of the Palestinian people, fomenting poverty through free trade agreements, economic warfare and rape.” He called for the struggle against these aggressions in Cuba, Haiti and against structural and environmental racism in Brazil against the youth of the Afro-descendant population and the environment.
In an exclusive interview with Al-Hadaf magazine, Aleida Guevara stressed the importance of the presence of Palestine in the People’s Tribunal against imperialism: “It is crucial that Palestine is present here, and not only here, but in all spaces and activities, so that the world and all people know as much as possible about the Palestinian cause. The problem is that many people live and turn their backs on the reality in which we live. We must break this silence and talk about the cause until all people unite in its support.”
Guevara also commented on Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel’s decision to grant 200 scholarships for Palestinian students to study medicine in Cuba: “It is wonderful to train doctors, but we must also insist that, when conditions permit, brigades of Cuban doctors be sent to support and assist the Palestinian people in everything they are facing.”
As a final message, she added: “Personally, I am always overcome with feelings when Palestine and its cause are mentioned. Being an ambassador for the return to Palestine, it hurts me very much to be so far away. I try, by all means, to be as close as possible.”
Source: Cuba en Resumen