December 11 Forum: Free the Cuban Five Held in US Jails Extradite Anti-Cuban Terrorist Luis Posada Carriles to Venezuela! click picture to view larger image             On Sunday December 11th, Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with Cuba (VCSC) and about 50 people gathered together at the Collingwood Neighbourhood House to learn more about the case of Five Cuban Heroes- René González, Ramón Labañino, Fernando González, Antonio Guerrero and Gerardo Hernández- who are currently imprisoned in US jails. Lindsay Clarke, the Social Justice Committee coordinator for the Capilano Students’ Union and a member of Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with Cuba opened the evening. She said, “We have come together tonight to discuss the case of Five Cuban Heroes currently held in US jails. These men delivered information to the US government and Cuban government about anti-Cuban terrorist activities and organizations in Florida. For this heroic effort they were imprisoned by the United States their sole crime being that of trying to prevent anti-Cuban terrorists in Miami from the attacking Cuban people.“ Lindsay then introduced the film ‘Mission Against Terror’ a Irish-Cuban co-production about the case of the Cuban 5. After the film, Noah Fine, the coordinator of the Free the Cuban Five Committee – Vancouver, spoke about how this case proves the hypocrisy of the United States ‘War on Terror’, and linked this case to the case of Luis Posada Carriles, an anti-Cuban terrorist being protected by the US administration. Noah was followed by Nino Pagliccia, member of the Canada-Cuba Friendship Association, an executive board member of the Canadian Network on Cuba and Coordinator of the Che Guevara Volunteer Work Brigade. Nino explained the recent victory of the Five, who won their right to a retrial in August. The US administration has since appealed the decision for a retrial. Now, the Cuban Five are set to fight for their right to a retrial infront of a panel of twelve judges at the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in early 2006. The final speaker was Tamara Hansen, a student at Simon Fraser University and the coordinator of Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with Cuba (VCSC). She talked about how these five men were not only defending Cuba from terrorist attacks but that the reason they feel so passionate about defending their country is to defend the gains of the Cuban revolution. Discussion and questions after the speakers was dynamic with many people contributing their ideas on the importance of the case of the Cuban Five and how to push their campaign forward in the new year. In their summaries all of the speakers emphsized on increasing solidarity work on this case and putting more pressure on the US government to free these Five Cuban Heroes from prison. Speakers discussed how the case of the five could be used to further campaigning against The US’ 45 year old blockade against Cuba and also to tackle the issue of human rights in Cuba. For decades the US has violated the human rights of the Cuban people through the blockade, bombing, assasinations, sabotaging the daily lives of Cubans and supporting anti-Cuban terrorist organizations both in and outside of the United States. The evening ended with an invitation for everyone to get involved in organizing around the international call to “Free the Cuban 5!” and to attend the picket action being organized by the Free the Cuban Five Committee – Vancouver, the next day outside of the US consulate to demand the freedom of the Five.