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March 27 2007 Picket Action  Organized by the Free the Cuban 5 Committee - Vancouver
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"Taken from their families - the Cuban 5 must be free!" Report back from March 27 Picket to free the 5 Cuban Heroes On the sunny spring afternoon of March 27th the Free the Cuban 5 Committee-Vancouver continued the fight for freedom of the 5 Cuban Heroes with an energetic picket action in front of the U.S. consulate. The action attracted over 30 supporters representing different communities in Vancouver to bring their support and solidarity to the Cuban 5. Noah Fine, the coordinator of the committee, opened the picket by outlining the case and highlighting the injustice faced by family members of the Cuban 5 who are being prevented from visiting their loved ones in jail by the U.S. authorities. Loud chants of "Taken from their families - the Cuban 5 must be free!" echoed through busy streets of Vancouver as the participants of the action started picketing. Jane Ivanova, coordinator of Free the Cuban 5 Committee at Capilano College, spoke about the case of anti-Cuban terrorist Luis Posada Carriles and highlighted the demand to extradite Posada to Venezuela where he would be tried for the merciless killings that he is responsible for. After many more rounds of energetic picketing and chanting a resolution was read by Mike Larson, a student at Kwantlen College and an organizer with the Free the Cuban 5 Committee-Vancouver. The powerful resolution demanded the immediate release of the Cuban 5, that travel visas be granted to their family members and that Posada be extradited to Venezuela. The resolution passed to loud cheers and applause. The last speaker of the action was Rosa, a Chilean organizer with La Coalici�n 8 de Marzo. She thanked the committee for the work around the case and invited everybody to take part in an International Day of Action demanding US Hands Off Latin America! and demanding the freedom of the Cuban 5 on April 7th, organized in Vancouver by La Coalici�n 8 de Marzo. The picketers left with new energy and new ideas to continue the fight for freedom of these 5 great fighters for humanity. Resolution read at the March 27 picket action as passed by the participants WHEREAS: We are gathered here today on unceded Coast Salish Territory as youth, students, women, people of colour and people from the Third World to express our solidarity and to defend our 5 Cuban Heroes; WHEREAS: Anti-Cuban terrorist groups with support from the U.S. government have carried out a war of terror against Cuba for almost 50 years; WHEREAS: This war of terror has resulted in the murder of 3,500 innocent Cuban people; WHEREAS: Ram�n, Antonio, Fernando, Ren�, and Gerardo - the Cuban 5 - were sent to Miami in order to stop this terrorism; WHEREAS: These 5 brave men have been illegally imprisoned for their noble duty and are serving outrageous sentences ranging from 15 years to two life sentences; WHEREAS: These 5 men committed no crime and have been in prison unjustly for over 8 years; WHEREAS: The U.S. government, despite international law and condemnation, has continued to deny visiting visas to Olga Salanueva and Adriana P�rez the wives of Ren� Gonz�lez and Gerardo Hern�ndez respectively in order to destroy the families of the Cuban 5; WHEREAS: The U.S. government refuses to charge anti-Cuban terrorist Luis Posada Carriles for his admitted terrorist crimes including the bombing of Cuban airliner 455 in 1976 that killed all 73 passengers on board; THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT: We demand that the U.S. government jail the terrorists responsible for so much destruction in Cuba and end all funding to these terrorist groups! BE IT RESOLVED THAT: We demand that the U.S. government grant visas to all family members of the Cuban 5 and cease the blockade against their loved ones in Cuba! BE IT RESOLVED THAT: We demand that the U.S. government extradite anti-Cuban terrorist Luis Posada Carriles to Venezuela in order to be justly tried for his organizing of the bombing of Cuban airliner 455 and all his terrorist crimes! BE IT RESOLVED THAT: We demand that the U.S. government immediately free the 5 Cuban Heroes who are criminally held in U.S. jails for defending their people against terrorism! BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT: We, as youth, elders, as people of color, as women, as poor and working people, will continue to fight until the U.S. government releases the 5 Cuban Heroes held in U.S. jails and end all criminal acts against Cuba! |
