Members of the Cuban state mission and residents in Panama participated in a bike ride to protest the blockade imposed by the United States on the island more than six decades ago.
The event, led by the Cuban ambassador to Panama, Orestes Pérez, is part of the initiatives that, as on the last Sunday of every month, bring together friends of Cuba to condemn Washington’s hostile policy.
The cycling enthusiasts pedaled along the entire coastal strip of the capital, carrying Cuban flags as a symbol of sovereignty and their willingness to defend it to the very end, they stated.
This activity also marked the end of the school supply drive, called “A Pencil for Cuba, the Future in Every Stroke,” launched by youth organizations on April 4.
The solidarity movement, labor unions, youth organizations, political parties, Cuban and Panamanian businesspeople, and Cuban nationals residing in Panama delivered approximately 80 boxes of school supplies containing more than 8,000 notebooks, 12,000 pencils, colored pencils, tempera paints, backpacks, and shoes for schoolchildren.
Recently, Cuban President Miguel DÃaz-Canel offered concrete figures on the humanitarian impact of the economic blockade: 98,500 surgeries are on hold, only 30 percent of basic medicines are available, and 67,000 children still lack up-to-date immunizations.
The president also denounced the impact of the energy blockade, which prevents fuel from reaching the island, due to the executive orders imposed by the Donald Trump administration.
Faced with this complex situation, the head of state emphasized that resistance is not passive but creative.
[ SOURCE: PRENSA LATINA ]
