The following statement is by the National Network on Cuba (NNOC). Socialist Action has been an affiliate of NNOC since its formation decades ago.
The National Network on Cuba is outraged that the U.S. State Department has threatened to return Cuba to its “list of state sponsors of terrorism.” It has now taken the step of including Cuba in a so-called list of countries certified as not cooperating fully with alleged U.S. counterterrorism efforts. This is especially reprehensible in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and the leading role that Cuba is playing in the global fight against the deadly virus.
This decision was taken just days after the Cuban Embassy was cowardly attacked. The State Department made its announcement on the same day that the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, in an international press conference, accused the U.S. Government for its complicit silence in the face of the terrorist attack against the Cuban Embassy in the center of the nation’s capital in the early morning of April 30. To date there has been no official response from the U.S. Government to this unprecedented attack on a diplomatic mission.
During the press conference Foreign Minister Rodríguez said “The terrorist attack against the Cuban Embassy is the result of the policy of hate of the US government.”
He added, “It is the Government of the United States that uses State terrorism as a weapon against countries that oppose its domination, uses reprehensible methods such as torture and employs advanced military technology, including drones, to extra-judicially execute alleged terrorists, including American citizens, and has also caused numerous deaths of innocent people among the civilian population”.
In fact, it was personnel at the embassy who were forced to endure the reality of terrorism firsthand in a hail of bullets from an assault rifle.
We are also deeply pained to learn that the statue of Cuba’s beloved José Martí was defaced during the attack.
If this attack had occurred at any other embassy in Washington D.C. there would have been a full-scale investigation. Instead, the U.S. Government released a statement painting Cuba and other countries as terrorist in another falsehood to justify its vicious blockade against the Cuban people.
Cuba has supported countries and people from all over the world; sending health professionals to assist those in need during times of crisis. Time and again Cuba has sent medical professionals to places around the world where others dared not go … across Africa, the Caribbean, South America, Central America, Europe and Asia.
Cuba has historically offered a rational voice on a wide range of topics geared towards global improvement and worldwide collaboration. These topics have included environmental issues, housing, affordable health care, gender equality, racial equality, access to free education, literacy campaigns, and a plethora of other global concerns.
It is the height of hypocrisy for the US government to accuse Cuba of not opposing terrorism This action is yet another attempt to distort the truth about Cuba.
In a recent tweet, Cuban Ambassador José Ramón Cabañas said it all:
“Our statement on the decision of U.S. Government to add #Cuba to the so called list of Countries Certified as Not Cooperating Fully With U.S. Counterterrorism Efforts:
“It is another step in the wrong direction, to justify the regress in bilateral relations, satisfy the electoral interests of a small group of politicians in Florida. It is another action not supported by evidence that also disregards how important has been the bilateral cooperation in issues that include law enforcement. Cuba was a victim, throughout the years, of terrorist actions organized from U.S. soil and we have maintained a firm and consequent position against such practices.”
We demand that the U.S. Government put a halt to its misinformation campaign aimed at justifying its demonic treatment of Cuba that dehumanizes the Cuban people. These efforts have been practiced and refined since the triumph of the Cuban revolution.
We demand that the U.S. Government be held accountable for releasing inaccurate information about Cuba and other countries around the world.
We encourage people around the globe to express what terrorism looks like in their country and to identify who is truly responsible for those terrorist actions.
The truth is the U.S. Government has funded, armed, educated, and supported terrorist actions all over the world. They orchestrate and support coups all over the world. Their campaigns of miseducation are geared towards the destabilization of countries who oppose imperialist ideas. It is the U.S. that is responsible for terrorizing nature, people, countries, economic systems, learning institutions, and people’s cultures. It is the U.S. that has had their wicked hand in the cookie jar of land occupation all around the world, including in Africa, Palestine, the Caribbean, and the Americas.
Long live global solidarity!
