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Demonstrators in front of
the White House. |
The Friday evening and Saturday demonstrations
during the five days of action for the Five in
Washington D.C. were covered by television channels
that included C-SPAN, Hispan, Univisión, Russia
Today and Telesur.
The event organized in the U.S. capitol by the
International Committee for the Release of the Cuban
Five ended Saturday, 21st April, with a day full of
action, events and planning workshops.
At 10 am a group of religious from different
denominations held a brain storming session to work
out strategies for future action. The Reverend Dr.
Joan Brown Campbell, former Secretary General of the
National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA
and the Reverend Dora Arca from the Cuban Pastoral
Platform were among those advocating further action
for justice for the Cuban Five.
A peaceful demonstration supporting the release
of the Cuban Five was held outside the White House
beginning at 1:00 pm on Saturday. The large numbers
already in D.C. were boosted by the arrival of four
buses of supporters from New York and other U.S.
cities.
The hundreds of activists carried banners,
placards and posters all demanding that Obama
release the imprisoned Cubans immediately.
A letter of appreciation and support in the name
of the Five from Gerardo Hernandez, one of the Five
who is serving two life sentences and fifteen years
on trumped-up charges, was read out and received
enthusiastically by those present.
Representatives from different solidarity
organizations across the U.S. and other parts of the
world followed Gerardo’s message with others from
individuals and committees promising to continue the
struggle until the Cuban Five are free and with
their families in Cuba.
Cindy Sheehan brought the five days of action to
a close at a meeting held in the Bolivarian Room of
the Venezuelan embassy. In a moving and sincere
manner Cindy explained her reasons for becoming
involved with the case of the Five and expressed her
admiration and fondness for the mothers of the
incarcerated men.
According to Alicia Jrapko "The 5 days have been
for me the best action or project we have ever done.
From many angles it is the best. We have reached out
to many people. We had an event with panelists of
the most diverse ideas and ways of thinking. We were
able to bring together a number of organizations
that usually don’t work together."
"It was super important and, yes, we are very
tired but happy."
(From www.thecuban5.org)
Activities in numerous countries
In London’s Trafalgar Square hundreds gathered to
demand the immediate release of the Five and unfurl
a giant 15-meter banner on the initiative of the
Cuba solidarity organization, Rock around the
Blockade. Actions were planned in Glasgow, Scotland
and in London an exhibition of graphic works by
Antonio Guerrero and Gerardo Hernández, is
continuing.
In Mexico City, supporters of the Five assembled
in front of the U.S. embassy to chant slogans
calling for their freedom, while in Russia, the
Venceremos movement issued a statement calling on
Obama to free the prisoners and right the injustice.
In Managua, the Nicaraguan Parliament approved a
resolution demanding that the U.S. government free
the anti-terrorist Cubans.
In the Dominican Republic, the television program
Rebeldes, on the Tierra América 12 channel,
was devoted to the issue.
In Germany, Argentina, Australia, Belgium,
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador,
Spain, Italy, Peru, Turkey, Sweden and Ukraine
events were held in solidarity with the Five. While
in Cuba, representatives from the brigades of more
than 2,000 youth from 83 countries who are studying
in the province of Villa Clara, organized a public
event describing the tortuous legal process and
demanding justice.