Thousands of demonstrators marched on Thursday in Rome, from the iconic Piazza del Cinquecento to the US Embassy, to express their support for Cuba in the face of an increased blockade and threats of war from the US government.
This demonstration, which began at 6:00 p.m. local time, was organized by the National Association of Italy-Cuba Friendship (ANAIC), the Network of Communists, and other political, social, labor, and youth organizations, as part of a day of support for the island, which included demonstrations in many of Italy’s major cities.
Italian economist Luciano Vasapollo, a leader of the Network of Communists, told Prensa Latina that, concurrently, demonstrations under the slogan “Cuba for Peace” took place Thursday afternoon in cities such as Milan, Turin, Genoa, Naples, Salerno, Florence, Bergamo, Catanzaro, Pisa, Bologna, and Bari.
Vasapollo, co-founder of the Italian chapter of the Network of Intellectuals and Artists in Defense of Humanity (REDH), emphasized the unity of forces in support of the Cuban cause, demonstrated by the broad and rapid response to this urgent call.
Alongside Cuban flags, those of political parties such as Communist Refoundation, People’s Power, Socialist Homeland, the Five Star Movement, and the parliamentary alliance between the Green Europe and the Italian Left, as well as the grassroots trade unions and other unions, were also displayed.
Also participating were members of the youth groups Cambiare Rotta and Oposición Estudiantil Alternativa, as well as members of solidarity groups, the National Association of Partisans of Italy, and the Cuban community residing in this European nation.
The organizers of this demonstration stated in a press release that the economic, commercial, and financial blockade, intensified by the current administration of President Donald Trump, who even threatens to attack Cuba, constitutes “a true crime against those who seek only peace and self-determination.”
During the march and at its final destination, in front of the U.S. diplomatic mission in Rome, several speakers addressed the crowd on behalf of the participating groups, reaffirming their support for the Cuban government and people, and condemning the imperialist maneuvers.
Marco Papacci, national president of ANAIC, emphasized in a statement made in front of the U.S. Embassy that “we strongly condemn the criminal and genocidal blockade imposed by the United States, which is an act of war in peacetime,” considered “the longest and most ruthless aggression in modern history.”
Faced with these pressures, which began more than six decades ago and have intensified in recent months under the administration of President Donald Trump, “Cuba has resisted with monumental dignity,” because its people “do not surrender, do not sell out, do not bend,” he asserted.
The demonstrations of solidarity with the island will continue and strengthen in Italy, with increasingly broad support, because today “defending the Cuban Revolution is not only a political duty, it is a moral duty for all who believe in justice and the freedom of peoples,” Papacci added.
[ SOURCE: PRENSA LATINA ]
