More than thirty French cities hosted demonstrations on Saturday by various sectors of society to demand the lifting of the US blockade against Cuba and denounce its ongoing escalation with an energy blockade.
In Lyon, Montpellier, Bordeaux, Le Havre, Toulouse, Amiens, Brest, Lille, Grenoble, Nîmes, and other cities across France, dozens of people responded to the call to support the island, launched by the French Communist Party (PCF) with the support of the General Confederation of Labor (CGT), associations, and political forces.
Paris and its Eiffel Tower witnessed a gathering of nearly 300 people, in an event adorned with Cuban flags, including a giant one, and the flags of the participating organizations, as well as banners demanding an end to the blockade imposed by Washington more than 60 years ago.
The demonstration in Place Jacques-Rueff, with the iconic monument as a backdrop, featured speeches by the Cuban ambassador, Otto Vaillant, the communist leader Charlotte Balavoine, and the CGT union leader Laurent Brun.
Also speaking at the demonstration were the leaders of the solidarity associations France Cuba, Fabrice Leclerc; Cuba Coopération France, Manuel Pascual; Cuba Si France, Charly Bouhana; the representative of Cuba Linda, Marie-Pierre Pineau; and Ana Katherine Martínez, on behalf of the Coordinating Committee of Cuban Residents.
From the solidarity movement with the island, spokespeople denounced, one after another, the economic, commercial, and financial blockade and its intensification by the administration of President Donald Trump with an oil embargo, the devastating impact of this policy on the civilian population, and the extraterritorial nature of U.S. aggression.
In his speech, Vaillant condemned Washington’s attempt to economically strangle an entire country as a way to impose political changes, and stressed that only the Cuban people can decide their destiny.
The diplomat expressed his gratitude for the day’s demonstrations in several French cities and affirmed that, faced with the complicit silence of the mainstream media regarding the crime being committed against the Caribbean nation, solidarity demonstrates its value and reach.
For his part, Balavoine, head of the French Communist Party’s (PCF) campaign in support of Cuba, called for increased support for the island, both in the political and material spheres.
In her address, she urged a focus on supporting the Caribbean nation in the energy sector, which has been particularly hard hit by the oil embargo imposed by Trump in late January.
The Communist leader also called for demands that elected officials throughout France take a stand against the blockade of Cuba and implement concrete support measures through projects and funding.
[ SOURCE: PRENSA LATINA ]
