In the U.S., the protests were a way to speak out against the blockade of Cuba.

By: Nuria Barbosa León

Last weekend, protesters raised their voices against the unilateral coercive measures imposed on Cuba, as well as its inclusion on the White House's illegal list of countries that sponsor terrorism. This list is used to sanction governments that the United States does not favor.

According to Mark Friedman, an activist, union member, and member of the Los Angeles "Hands Off Cuba" Committee, leaflets explaining the damage caused by the economic, commercial, and financial blockade were distributed at demonstrations in several major U.S. cities.

Protesters also raised a banner and called for an end to the deportation of migrants, including Cubans. They demanded that the Constitution be upheld to stop the unpopular measures taken by the current president, Donald Trump, who supports U.S. oligarch groups.

Friedman reported that, at protests in New York and New Jersey, Barbara Mutnick of the Cuba Sí Coalition noted signs and banners among the crowd of over 100,000 indignados.

At the Madison Square Park rally, Cuba Sí leader Jason Corley explained the global struggle to end the U.S. blockade, which has been in place for over 65 years. Trump has added 243 measures in his first administration and 24 since January.

In Miami, Pete Seidman, a member of the Coalition to End the U.S. Blockade of Cuba, said march attendees saw a table displaying printed materials about the blockade policy against Cuba, as well as flyers that read, "No to deportations! No to blockades! Let us defend our democratic right to protest! Let us build bridges of love! Let's build bridges of love!"

In Chicago, activist Julie Wolenski said that the Cuba Coalition gathered at the Puerto Rican Cultural Center and marched with a banner and Cuban flags to protest the blockade. Members of the solidarity group distributed flyers with titles such as: "U.S. Sanctions Force Migration" and "Cuba and Puerto Rico Are One Bird with Two Wings."

The protests were met with repression by uniformed officers. Violet Martinez, 23, told the Los Angeles Times that she was standing next to the federal building when agents on horseback charged into the crowd. "They put on their gas masks and started firing tear gas," she said.

She added that some people were trampled by horses and others were hit by rubber bullets. "There was no reason to do that," said one of the march attendees, who, like Martinez, is calling for an end to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids against immigrants.

“The mobilizations will continue in the United States until the government stops all its brutal policies against the American people,” said Mark Friedman. There will also be calls for solidarity to end the suffering caused by the blockade in Cuba.