[van-announce] Cuba forum on TV

[Ken]

[SORRY FOR DUPLICATE POSTING]

Cuba Forum on Working TV This Monday, August 11 & 18, 10:30 p.m. on Shaw Ch.
4

Report on Cuba Meeting at Maritime Labour Centre

On Thursday, July 24th, about 350 people met at the Maritime Labour Centre
in Vancouver to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the storming of the
Moncada Barracks, after which the revolutionary movement in Cuba was named.
A standing ovation was given to the 3rd Secretary of the Cuban Embassy in
Canada, 31-year old Vladimir Mirabal, after he described how his young
generation, born after the Cuban Revolution, was prepared to fight to the
end to defend the gains it has made for the Cuban people, and to defend the
sovereignty of Cuba from U.S. aggression. He warned of the grave dangers
faced by his small country threatened by U.S. imperialism. He also gave a
detailed account of accomplishments in education and health care for the 11
million Cuban people achieved by the revolution.

The meeting also heard Bill Saunders, President of the Vancouver & District
Labour Council, speak positively about the historic traditions of the Cuban
revolution, including its outstanding records in education and health care.
Shahdin Farsai, a student from Simon Fraser University, called on everyone
to actively publicize the case of the Cuban Five and work for their
immediate release. Antonio Guerrero, Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labanino,
Feranda Gonzalez,  and Rene Gozalez received stiff sentences ranging from
15 years to two life sentences for gathering information on groups in Miami
that have carried out terrorist attacks against Cuba.

Elspeth Gardner, a retired lawyer, spoke about the 42 years of activity of
the Canadian Cuban Friendship Association in Vancouver. Eduardo Luro, of the
Committee for Solidarity with Colombia and the StopWar coalition, linked the
savage U.S. policy towards Cuba with its war of aggression and occupation of
Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the murderous policy of Plan Colombia where
thousands of trade union activists and patriots are murdered by U.S.-trained
and armed goons.

Toward the end of the meeting a resolution was moved and unanimously adopted
that, on behalf of those in attendance, a number of letters be sent: a
letter to the government of Cuba expressing the meeting's solidarity and
revolutionary greetings on the 50th anniversary of the revolution, a second
letter to U.S. authorities demanding the immediate release of the Cuban
Five, and a third to be sent to the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs
demanding Canada increase friendly and mutually beneficial relations with
Cuba and step up its opposition to the US illegal blockade of Cuba.  The
audience contributed $1200 in a collection.

The Cuba Forum is being broadcast on Working TV in two parts on the upcoming
Mondays : August 11 and 18th at 10:30p.m. on Shaw Ch.4. or can be viewed
on-line at:
http://www.workingtv.com/mainp11.html (In RealVideo and RealAudio formats.
RT: 60 minutes approximately in segments )

For further info. on Cuba solidarity work contact:
van_cubaforum at yahoo.com
freethecuban5 at yahoo.com
Ph: 604-831-9821
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