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The ANSWER Coalition urges all to support this critical
initiative by the Let Cuba Live campaign amidst a crisis facing Cuba.
This is a moment that requires humanity and solidarity from the people
of the United States. Biden should immediately lift the 243 coercive
measures that Trump added to the already existing Blockade of
Cuba.
When your neighbor’s house is on fire the normal
human reaction is to rush next door and help
Dear Friends,
On Friday, August 5th, a major oil storage facility in
Matanzas, Cuba, 65 miles east of Havana, was hit by lightning. Since
then, an enormous fire has been raging. This tremendous
explosion and hard-to-control fire have left several people missing
(including firefighters), many injured with severe burns, and hundreds
evacuated from their homes.
This tragedy has also had immediate
repercussions for the entire population in that province and the whole
island since it affects their electricity supply and health facilities
which already suffer under the weight of the U.S. Blockade due to lack
of spare parts and scarcity of medicine.
In this dire
crisis, Cuba and its government have responded immediately and on-site
have led efforts to contain the fire, prevent a major environmental
disaster, and keep its population safe. It has
also called for international aid and solidarity. The governments of
Mexico, Venezuela, and several others have promptly offered material
aid and have sent experts and firefighters to confront this complex
situation.
Unfortunately, U.S. sanctions fuel the fires
that rage in Cuba! Despite assurances by the
U.S. Embassy in Havana that the law authorizes U.S. entities and
organizations to provide disaster relief and response, it’s proven not
so easy. U.S. sanctions make it difficult to send aid to the island
urgently. Also, Cuba’s inclusion in the State Sponsors of Terrorism
List means that banks in both the United States and abroad are
reluctant to process humanitarian donations.
The United
States loses nothing by being a good neighbor and lifting the 243
sanctions that prevent Cuba from recovering fully from this tragic
moment. The Biden Administration can do more than just offer technical
advice. It can immediately remove Cuba from the State Sponsors of
Terrorism List with the stroke of a pen and send material aid to the
island.
in solidarity,
ANSWER Coalition
CODEPINK
IFCO/Pastors for Peace
International People's Assembly
The People's Forum
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