Havana, April 16 (RHC)--On April 16th, 1961, as thousands of Cubans accompanied the coffins of seven men killed during the U.S. bombardments of two Cuban airports, Fidel Castro -- in an improvised speech -- declared the socialist character of the Cuban Revolution, which he said was "of the poor, by the poor and for the poor."
The air strikes against Havana's Ciudad Libertad airport and Santiago's San Antonio de los Banos airport were the prelude to Washington's Bay of Pigs invasion, launched two days later. The invasion was defeated in less than 72 hours as hundreds of thousands of Cuban militia and soldiers took up arms to defend the country.
More than 100,000 converged at the corner of 12th Street and 23rd Avenue in Havana, a block away from the cemetery where the victims were buried, and where Fidel Castro delivered his historic speech. In a press release on the occasion, the Cuban government said today's patriotic activity will be to reaffirm the validity of having chosen the socialist path as humanity's only alternative in the face of a uni-polar, neo-liberal and unjust world.
Havana, April 17 (RHC)--Cuban President Fidel Castro reaffirmed that the Revolution is, and will always be, a Socialist Revolution. The Cuban leader spoke at a mass rally of over 100,000 people Monday evening, commemorating the 40th anniversary of the declaration of the Cuban Revolution's socialist character.
On this date in 1961, Fidel addressed a similar rally at the corner of 23rd and 12th Streets in the Cuban capital -- just outside Havana's main cemetery. Tens of thousands of Cubans had accompanied the coffins of seven men killed during the U.S. bombardments of two Cuban airports. The air strikes were the prelude to the U.S.-sponsored Bay of Pigs invasion, which was launched two days later.
Monday evening, the leader of the Cuban Revolution -- with an AK-47 slung over his shoulder -- climbed to the stage following speeches by representatives of mass organizations. Fidel Castro took a look back over the past 40 years, emphasizing that without socialism, the many accomplishments of the Cuban people would have been impossible.
President Castro said that thanks to the socialist path Cuba has been following for 40 years now, there is no illiteracy in Cuba, children receive all necessary vaccines, life expectancy is at 76 years of age and diseases like AIDS have very low rates compared to other countries.
The Cuban leader said that without socialism Cuba would not have been able to survive through nine consecutive, hostile U.S. administrations, adding that thanks to socialism, Cuba is today a country that can live and advance without trade with the U.S. and without credits from the International Monetary Fund.
Fidel recalled that to defend socialism, hundreds of thousands of armed militia members fought against the powerful enemy that invaded the Bay of Pigs 40 years ago and said that today, the people are still armed and ready to defend their Socialist Revolution until the last drop of their blood.
He observed that whichever way the vote on Cuba at the United Nations Human Rights Commission goes in Geneva, the island will in any case be the winner. Fidel said that Cuba was at peace with the world and that peace will be maintained whether or not Cuba has the votes necessary to win. Cuba's victory will be a moral one.
This year, the commission is voting on 15 human rights resolutions, among which are two on racism presented by Brazil and countries in Africa and supported by Cuba. The Non-Aligned Movement of nations placed another resolution on the table referring to the right of poor countries to unhindered development and there are five other resolutions dedicated to the condemnation of Israel in its war on the people of Palestine. Cuba supports all these.
As with last year's vote, the Czech Republic is the U.S. mouthpiece of this year's proposed resolution against Cuba. Washington is applying a great deal of pressure to get the resolution passed, according to observers in Geneva.
Fidel Castro said he was saddened by the lack of moral dignity shown by those countries that cave in to the pressure from the United States to vote against Cuba. He asked where was the condemnation of the fact that there are millions of starving children in the streets in the world but not one in Cuba. Where was the condemnation of political assassinations, disappearances and torture in the world but not one case in Cuba? Even as a poor country, Cuba maintains a level of literacy and health that equals the richest nations on earth, said the Cuban leader, and Cuba's record of such human rights was open for all to see.
Havana, April 17 (RHC SPECIAL)--At a gigantic rally in Havana this Monday evening, representatives from Cuban organizations took the stage to voice support for Cuban Socialism. The gathering drew more than 100,000 participants, including delegates from Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela, some of whom also addressed the rally.
President Fidel Castro delivered the main address. With an AK-47 slung over his shoulder, the leader of the Cuban Revolution reflected for nearly two hours on what socialism has done for Cuba during the last 40 years.
He said that thanks to the socialist path Cuba has followed for 40 years now, there is no illiteracy in Cuba, that children get all necessary vaccines, life expectancy remains at 76 years of age, and a disease like AIDS has a low 0.003 percent incidence rate, compared with the 0.2 percent rate in countries like the United States. Some excerpts from the Cuban president's remarks:
"WITHOUT SOCIALISM, CUBA WOULD NOT BE, AS IT IS TODAY, THE MOST SOLID BARRIER IN THE HEMISPHERE AGAINST DRUG TRAFFICKING, TO THE BENEFIT OF U.S. SOCIETY ITSELF.
"WITHOUT SOCIALISM, CUBA WOULD NOT BE A COUNTRY WHERE FOR 42 YEARS THERE HAS BEEN NO POLICE REPRESSION OR BRUTALITY SO COMMON IN EUROPE AND OTHER PLACES, WHERE ANTI-RIOT VEHICLES AND POLICE AGENTS DRESSED UP LIKE ASTRONAUTS, WITH SHIELDS AND RUBBER BULLETS, TEAR GAS AND OTHER GEAR CHARGE AGAINST THE PEOPLE. IN THE WEST, THEY FIND IT HARD TO UNDERSTAND WHY NOTHING LIKE THAT HAPPENS IN CUBA. "
President Fidel Castro said without socialism, Cuba would not have been able to survive through nine consecutive, hostile U.S. administrations, adding that thanks to socialism, too, Cuba is today the only country in the world that can live and advance without trade with the U.S., and without credits from the International Monetary Fund.
The Cuban president devoted an important part of his speech Monday to warn against Washington's intentions to swallow Latin America and the Caribbean:
"THE DOCUMENTS FOR A FREE TRADE AGREEMENT AMONG COUNTRIES OF THE HEMISPHERE HAVE BEEN DRAFTED IN A RUSH. THE U.S. WISHES TO SPEED UP THE BANQUET. THE PRIVILEGES THAT THEY ENVISION WILL BLOCK COMMERCIAL COMPETITION AS WELL AS INVESTMENTS FROM EUROPE AND INDUSTRIAL NATIONS IN AFRICA. THE STRATEGY IS TO AVOID, AT ALL COSTS, THE CONSOLIDATION OF MERCOSUR, THE REGION'S SO-CALLED SOUTHERN MARKET, AND TO KEEP SOUTH AMERICAN NATIONS FROM INTEGRATING SO THEY CANNOT NEGOTIATE WITH THE U.S. FROM A STRONG POSITION...."
However, Fidel Castro predicted resistance on the part of Latin American nations, which, he said, will not allow themselves to simply be devoured.
"CREATING AWARENESS, DENOUNCING THE IMPERIALIST GREEDY INTENTIONS, AND THE RISKS THAT LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN NATIONS ARE PRESENTLY RUNNING ARE PERHAPS THE MOST URGENT TASKS AHEAD FOR SOCIAL AND POLITICAL LEADERS, FOR ECONOMISTS AND PROGRESSIVE INTELLECTUALS, FOR ALL LEFTIST FORCES."
"THOSE OF US WHO ARE AWARE OF THE SOCIAL REALITY IN MANY NATIONS, OF HOW SERIOUS AND DIFFICULT TO SOLVE THEIR PROBLEMS ARE -- PROBLEMS THAT CAPITALISM, RATHER THAN SOLVING, WILL RENDER EVEN MORE DRAMATIC -- WE KNOW THAT LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN CAN BE SWALLOWED UP BUT WOULD NEVER BE DIGESTED. SOONER OR LATER, AS IN THE BIBLICAL STORY, THESE NATIONS WOULD FIND THEIR WAY OUT OF THE WHALE'S STOMACH. AND THERE, WAITING FOR THEM OUTSIDE, WOULD BE THE CUBAN PEOPLE, WHO FOR A LONG TIME NOW HAVE BEEN SWIMMING IN TROUBLED WATERS AND ARE AWARE THAT UNLESS LIVING CONDITIONS ARE SUBSTANTIALLY IMPROVED, THE PEOPLES OF THE THIRD WORLD WILL BECOME EVER MORE UNGOVERNABLE AND WILL FORCE THE NECESSARY SOLUTIONS."
In his speech marking the 40th anniversary of the declaration of Socialism in Cuba, Fidel Castro reaffirmed that the Revolution is, and will always be, a socialist revolution.