Vol. 71/No. 18      May 7, 2007

BY LINDSEY MANGERI  
NEW YORK, April 17—“I saw pictures of the Five everywhere in Cuba, but now I know what their story is,” said Kate Oberdorfer, 21, a junior at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study who just returned from a three-month study in Cuba.

Oberdorfer was among 50 students and others gathered at New York University’s (NYU) Kimmel Center today to discuss the case of the Cuban Five at “Debunking the Myths,” a panel presentation sponsored by Omega Phi Beta Sorority and Phi Iota Alpha Fraternity. Many of those present had heard of the Cuban Five but were interested in learning more about what triggered the exceedingly hostile treatment of these five revolutionaries by the U.S. government.

The five—Gerardo Hernández, René González, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, and Fernando González—were arrested by the FBI in 1998 and convicted three years later on frame-up charges that included conspiracy to spy for Havana. They are serving sentences ranging from 15 years to a double-life term.

“Debunking the Myths” was part of an international youth campaign in solidarity with the Cuban Five. The Young Socialists have stepped up efforts to broaden support for the five.

“These five men are no different than any other Cuban willing to defend the revolution,” said Emily Paul, a Young Socialist who spoke from the panel that also included Ben Becker, a representative of the National Committee to Free the Cuban Five. Paul said the case of the Five is another instance of the long-standing imperialist attacks against the Cuban Revolution. She pointed out that the aggressive treatment of these prisoners aims to break their spirit.

“But the Cuban Five are not victims,” Paul said. “They have now joined the working-class struggle in the United States.” This includes extending solidarity to workers on strike in the United States and sharing revolutionary literature behind bars. Paul stressed the significance of the event as part of the international campaign to free the five and press for allowing visits by their families.

Becker described the campaign in the early 1990s of violent attacks against Cuba by counterrevolutionary groups functioning from U.S. soil with Washington’s complicity. The Five entered these groups to gather information on their plans, he said.

“I didn’t know of the plot to bomb the Tropicana [nightclub in Cuba],” said Francisco Guzmán, an NYU senior. “This event gives us more reason to follow up on the case of the Five.”

After the meeting, students picked up information on the Five and the Cuban Revolution, including the video Mission Against Terror, the book Che Guevara Talks to Young People and other Pathfinder titles. Two students also subscribed to the Militant.

Lindsey Mangeri is a student at State University of New York at Albany.
 
 
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