RMT Cuba Garden Party full of “love and solidarity”
Campaign News | Wednesday, 17 July 2024
Mick Lynch RMT, Diane Abbott MP, Ben Jamal PSC, Fran Heathcote PSC, Dave Ward CWU, Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP, Kevin Courtney CSC, Alex Gordon RMT
Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP, Mick Lynch, Ben Jamal, Diane Abbott MP, Fran Heathcote
Speakers from across the trade union and Labour movement took to the platform to pledge support to the Cuba Vive appeal at the RMT Garden Party in June. Four hundred people gathered at the RMT’s Maritime House in Clapham to enjoy food, drink, dancing, and music from legendary Cuban violinist Omar Puente and his salsa band Raíces Cubanas. All welcomed the return of the event after a four-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
RMT president, Alex Gordon, described the Garden Party as “not just a good excuse to enjoy ourselves and celebrate the great victory of the people of Cuba in defending their island and sovereignty for 62 years against an illegal blockade, but also an opportunity for you to put your hand in your pocket and get your union to support Cuba Vive, an appeal that makes a real difference to the people of Cuba.”
General Secretary, Mick Lynch, was delighted to have people back at Maritime House and urged support for the appeal because: “We need to do our part to keep Cuba going, to fight imperialism and make sure the Revolution is successful.”
Bell Ribeiro-Addy, MP for the new constituency of Clapham and Brixton Hill, thought that Cuba deserved recognition for what it had done “for people in terms of healthcare, right across the world, no matter their situation and through this awful blockade.” As someone who has family from Ghana, Bell said she was aware of the Cuban doctors in Africa. “There is something really evil about putting a blockade on medical supplies,” she lamented, encouraging people to give as much as they could to the Cuba Vive appeal.
RMT Young Members committee chair, Sarah Cundy, talked about her experience on the May Day brigade especially visiting a hospital where she saw first-hand the effects of the blockade: “This brutal blockade affects not just the Cuban economy but Cuban people, their lives and their health.”
CWU General Secretary, Dave Ward, described how he looked forward to the CSC fringe meetings at CWU conference (see page 29) every year “not just to hear people speak about how Cuba has overcome 60 years of US imperialist blockade but also because it gives me a lift. I see the spirit of people first-hand and it shows us what our movement should be about…standing up against injustice against working people right across the world.” He praised CSC for doing a “brilliant job in solidarity with Cuba across the UK. You keep us involved, you keep us fighting and you keep us proud to stand with the people of Cuba.”
PCS General Secretary, Fran Heathcote, said it was “great to see the bond between the trade union movement and CSC is stronger than ever…We will not stop calling for an end to the US blockade of Cuba. It is a cruel, inhumane, and unjustifiable policy that has virtually no international support,” she concluded.
Diane Abbott MP was “proud to be here in solidarity with Cuba. The Cuban Revolution is one of the most important twentieth century revolutions, it’s particularly important for those of us that originate from the Caribbean. And despite everything that the US has tried to throw at them, the Cuban Revolution, Castro’s revolution survives today.”
Director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Ben Jamal, talked about the importance of resistance and solidarity to the Palestinian people, and the integral role that the Cuban people have played in this since the outset of the Palestinian struggle.
“We know that just a few months after the Revolution Che Guevara and Raúl Castro prioritised the need to visit Bureij refugee camp in Gaza. We know that right now some 250 Palestinian students are training as doctors in Cuba at no cost to the Palestinian people, in an act of practical solidarity. We know that Cuba has been one of the states supporting South Africa’s initiation of proceedings under the genocide convention at the ICJ. And we have seen, and drawn strength from, the huge mobilisations in Havana; they have been happening across the world, but you tell me another state where they have been led by the president? We know too that the Cuban people are resilient, and no matter the injustices they face, no matter the ongoing impact of the US blockade, they never cease to look outward, and they never cease to show solidarity with other oppressed people across the world. That inspires us in our ongoing struggle.”
“This is a place full of love and solidarity…and being surrounded by all of you gives me a sense of safety and hope,” said Cuban Ambassador Ismara Vargas Walter.
She described the difficult situation Cuba was in economically after being placed on the US government’s State Sponsors of Terrorism (SSOT) list:
“Sometimes it seems that it’s very difficult, that we’re not going to make it, that it’s mission impossible. There is no mission impossible. When it comes to justice, when it comes to sovereignty, when it comes to solidarity, there is always a way, and we trust you.”
CSC chair, Kevin Courtney, thanked RMT for “reinstating the great tradition” of the Garden Party. After listening to the ambassador speak with “such passion” about “the injustice of the blockade it makes us all so angry,” he said. “When we hear you talk about how Donald Trump put Cuba on the SSOT list because they were helping the peace process in Colombia it gobsmacks us and makes us even more angry. But when you tell us that the Cuban people have spirit and are still steadfast it gives us hope for the future.”
Raffle tickets were sold throughout the night for the amazing first prize of two return flights to Cuba or £1,200 cash. Nazifa Zaman, a Unite member and participant in the 2023 May Day Brigade was delighted to win the top prize. The raffle raised £3,000 for the Cuba Vive medical appeal.
Misplaced Che flag...
At some point during the evening CSC's Che feather flag went missing. If anyone accidentally took it home or knows where it might be, please let us know. We only have two and they are expensive to print so we'd rather not spend vital resources replacing it. Gracias.
Have you seen this flag?
