Video from Perth Cuba Five action
written by Alex Bainbridge
at Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Video by Zeb Parkes
Perth rallies for the Cuban Five
written by Alex Bainbridge
at Monday, September 13, 2010
Speakers spoke about the injustice against these 5 Cuban Heroes who harmed no one but were imprisoned after giving information they had collected about these terrorist groups operating against Cuba from U.S. soil to the U.S. government, hoping the U.S. would live up to its rhetoric against terrorism and intervene to jail the terrorists. Many shoppers stopped to find out more and to sign a petition for the freedom of the Five.Following speeches the rally marched through the Hay Street Mall handing out leaflets to interested shoppers, calling for Obama to exercise his power to rectify the grave injustice of this politically motivated attack on Five brave men who were fighting against terrorism.
Written by Elizabeth Hulm. Photos by Alex Bainbridge. Video by Zeb Parkes here.
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Cuba Brigade information session
written by Alex Bainbridge
at Sunday, September 5, 2010
The Australia-Cuba Friendship Society, ACFS is organising the 28th Australia-NZ Southern Cross Work-Study Brigade to Cuba.
We organise the Southern Cross brigade as the best way for people to see for themselves what the Cuban revolution has been able to provide to its people in the way of free access to education and health, housing and jobs.
This is the 28th Brigade which is the very same number of years since the friendship societies were established in Australia.
We work closely with the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples, ICAP which has links with friendship organisations in over 120 countries.
As part of our solidarity work we organise educational forums and exchange information about Cuba and its revolution. We also sponsor health, education and other projects in Cuba. Currently we are funding the reconstruction of a school for children with special needs in the province of Las Tunas. Brigadistas as we call people travelling with the Southern Cross Brigade will carry and hand in the monies collected throughout
the year for the above mentioned project.
So far we have a number of people who have expressed interest in attending the brigade from Perth. Rhonda Andrews is the National Brigade coordinator who can give you more details of the number of people attending from Perth and other parts of Australia and NZ.
ACFS Perth will run an information session for people interested in the brigade on Sunday 19th September from 3-5pm at the Activist Centre 15/5 Aberdeen Street East Perth, information attached. Visit: www.cubabrigade.org.au
The sessions are good because you get to meet others who have been on previous brigades and to ask questions etc.
If you would like to have a chat please feel free to call 0419 812 872 anytime or contact Rhonda Andrews on 92472731 after 6pm or by email: bowgadabird1@hotmail.com
Take Action for the Cuban Five 12 September 2010
written by Alex Bainbridge
at Thursday, August 26, 2010
Join us on Sunday 12th September from 12:30pm at the Wesley Church grounds for a peaceful protest rally, calling for freedom of the Cuban Five.
The Cuban Five are five Cuban men serving four life sentences and 75 years collectively in US prisons, after being wrongly convicted in the US federal court in Miami, on June 8, 2001. They are Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando González and René González.
The Five were falsely accused by the US government of committing espionage, conspiracy against the United States, and other related charges. But the Five pointed out vigorously in their defence that they were involved in peacefully monitoring the actions of Miami-based terrorist groups, in order to prevent terrorist attacks on their homeland Cuba.
For more than 40 years, Cuba has been the target of terrorist attacks by anti-Cuba terrorist organizations based in Miami. Such groups operate with complete impunity from within the United States to attack Cuba—with the knowledge and support of the FBI and CIA.
More than 3,000 Cubans have died as a result of these terrorists’ attacks.
But instead of arresting the terrorists, the FBI arrested the Cuban Five anti-terrorists on September 12, 1998. The Five were illegally held in solitary confinement for 17 months in a Miami prisons.
The campaign for the release of the Cuban Five has been supported by declarations from hundreds of parliamentarians in Britain, Italy, and the European and Latin American Parliaments. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions, with five judges, ruled that there were irregularities in the Five’s trial and arrest, effectively denying them a fair trial and calls on the US government to remedy this injustice.
Around Australia, Australia-Cuba Friendship Societies have been working hard to raise awareness about their case. The rally we will hold on September 12, will be a peaceful assembly and distribute fliers to raise awareness of the case.
More information on the campaign can be found at http://www.freethefive.org.
FREE THE CUBAN FIVE!
Yours in solidarity,
Vinnie Molina
Branch President
Australia Cuba Friendship Society Read More...
Perth Celebrates the 26th July Assault on the Moncada Barracks
written by ACFS Perth
at Sunday, July 25, 2010
The party kicked off with a warm welcome from Cuban ambassador to Australia, Mr Abelardo Curbelo, who kindly accepted the invitation to visit Western Australia for the celebrations. He highlighted the significance of the historical event, the spark of the Cuban revolution, in the city of Santiago de Cuba which sees the town shut down its activities for a week to dance the days and nights away to rhythms of Cuban music.
Almost 200 people attended the big revolution party which featured local band Latin Fusion. ACFS secretary Elizabeth Hulm talked to people about the aims of the friendship society in Perth that for 16 years has been strengthening the friendship between the peoples of Australia and Cuba.
She told the attendees that it is only their solidarity that would enable the ACFS to raise the dollars needed to fund this year’s project in the province of Las Tunas, Cuba. ACFS Perth is currently sponsoring the rebuilding of the local school for children with special needs whose dream is to attend the Paralympics sometime in the future.
Branch president Vinnie Molina invited those present to visit Cuba in the upcoming Southern Cross brigade to Cuba due on Boxing Day. He also talked on the plight of the Cuban Five men unjustly incarcerated in US prisons for no crime and whom are unable to get visits by their wives. The night ended at midnight with a chant of Viva Cuba!
