Vol. 71/No. 22      June 4, 2007

BY BJÖRN TIRSÉN  
LONDON, May 19—Dozens gathered at Trafalgar Square here today to speak out for the release of five Cuban revolutionaries imprisoned in U.S. jails. The five were convicted on frame-up charges by Washington that include “conspiracy to commit espionage” for the government of Cuba and “conspiracy to act as an unregistered foreign agent.” About 100 people gathered to listen to speakers, who included representatives of the sponsoring groups: The North London Cuba Solidarity Campaign (NLCSC), Rock Around the Blockade, Communist League, and Young Socialists.

“We are here today to demand the release of the Cuban Five,” said Alex Xezonakis, a Young Socialist who had attended an April 29-30 international youth conference in Havana on the campaign to free the Cuban revolutionaries. The five—Gerardo Hernández, René González, Antonio Guerrero, Ramón Labañino, and Fernando González—“were living in Florida collecting information on Cuban American ultrarightist groups with a long history of violent attacks against Cuba carried out from U.S. soil with Washington’s complicity,” he said. “Their arrests and frame-up are part of the decades-long war waged by U.S. imperialism against the Cuban Revolution.”

The British capitalist class, Xezonakis continued, “has a long history of imperialist policy against Cuba. It vehemently opposed the revolutionary course of the July 26 Movement and Rebel Army—which led the struggle to overthrow a brutal, U.S-backed dictatorship in the late 1950s—and has supported every U.S. move against Cuba unless it hurt their profit interests.”

“It is a great injustice to the Cuban people,” said Cherrelle Richards, 17, a high school student, referring to the imprisonment of the five. It was her first time at a rally.

Juan Carlos, 44, a teacher, said he had come “so that the truth is known and justice can be realized.”

Caroline Owen, 27, a town planner, walked by and saw the rally. “I’m surprised I haven’t heard about this before,” she said. “I’d like to find out more.” She bought two copies of the Militant. Others passing by had a similar response.

Afterward, some of the protesters walked to Downing Street, the official residence of Prime Minister Anthony Blair. There the NLCSC delivered a letter to Blair calling on his government to “add its voice to this international demand for justice.”

Andres Mendoza contributed to this article.
 
 
Related articles:
‘Cuba’s socialist revolution ended anti-Chinese discrimination’
Students at Los Angeles college discuss book by Chinese Cuban generals with its editor
Protesters in Minnesota and Iceland demand: ‘Free Cuban 5! Extradite Posada Carriles!’  
 
 
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