Statement by the participants of the Network of Intellectuals, Artists, and Social Movements in Defense of Humanity at the International Colloquium “Fidel: Legacy and Future” and at the 34th Havana Book Fair
On August 18, 1936, ninety years ago, the great poet Federico García Lorca was brutally murdered by fascism. His dazzling figure, his words, and his sacrifice continue to inspire us in our struggles today.
Guided by the certainty that we cannot close our eyes or stand idly by in the face of imperialist, Zionist, and fascist aggression, and deeply moved by these days we have spent alongside the heroic Cuban people, we gathered at Casa de las Américas on August 14th to discuss how to expand the influence of the Network of Intellectuals, Artists, and Social Movements in Defense of Humanity, created in 2003 with the decisive support of Fidel and Chávez.
At this moment, the US government and its allies are applying the law of the strongest everywhere with total impunity; they are creating an unbearable climate of McCarthyism and rendering the basic guarantees of international law, including the right to life of millions of people, meaningless.
Meanwhile, the Latin American far right, following the emperor’s orders to the letter, seems determined to return the region to the dark days of the National Security Doctrine and Operation Condor. It strives to revive a fierce anti-communism while brutally attacking leaders, organizations, and social movements.
In the US itself, acts of police repression are multiplying against migrants, Latinos, Black people, young people who have embraced the Palestinian cause, and anti-fascist activists: against anyone who raises their voice for peace, justice, and equality. In Europe, fascist parties, xenophobia, hate speech, and public demonstrations by an emboldened and brutal far right are on the rise.
A cruel genocidal policy is being carried out against two peoples who resist: the atrocious project of extermination of the Palestinian people; and the silent genocide, without bombs for now, against the Cuban people. A ruthless plan of suffocation.
The Empire sees Cuba as the greatest obstacle to reigning unopposed over what it continues to consider its backyard and now presents it as the quintessential “ideological enemy.”
Faced with this scenario and the urgent need to build “trenches of ideas” against barbarity and the accompanying wave of lies, our Human Rights Network proposes to:
Denounce, by all means at its disposal, the genocide against the peoples of Palestine and Cuba and the illegal and immoral interference of the United States in Our America.
Defend popular and progressive political alternatives against fascism anywhere in the world.
Contribute to building unity among leftist forces without any kind of sectarianism. Wherever there is a nucleus of antifascist cultural resistance, the Network must be present with its message of solidarity.
Work to reach new sectors, particularly young people.
Defend the truth and dismantle the manipulations and falsehoods designed to confuse, divide, and misinform.
Give the highest priority to the communications war in the realm of social media and digital platforms.
Let us add to this crucial battle all sensitive and dignified people who understand the magnitude of this threat to humanity.
The genocide against the Palestinian people must stop!
The relentless siege against the Cuban people must stop!
Cuba has the right to live in peace!
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Representative Cilia Flores must be released!
The racist infamy against migrants must stop!
The McCarthyist harassment against the people of the United States must stop!
Enough with wars and the lies used to justify them!
