Cuban Five 10

Gerardo and René on “Red Avispa”

5 months ago CubaDebate, , ,

cuba-debate

Gerardo and René talk with Cubadebate about the film “Wasp Network” (+ Video)

By Ana Álvarez Guerrero,
Student of Journalism of the Faculty of Communication of the University of Havana. On Twitter: @aaguerrero97

and

Irene Pérez, Cubadebate photojournalist. Graduated in Journalism from the University of Havana (2014). Contact: irene@cubadebate.cu, on Twitter: @irenepperezz

Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.

Heroes of the Republic, Gerardo Hernández and René González, share their impressions of the film “Wasp Network” [“Red Avispa”]. Photo: María del Carmen Ramón.

Heroes of the Republic of Cuba, Gerardo Hernandez and René Gonzalez, spoke today with Cubadebate about the Cuban premiere of the film “Red Avispa” at the 41st New Latin American Film Festival.

What did you both think of the film directed by French director Olivier Assayas?

The answer to this question and their impressions of this film – one of the most controversial of this edition of the Festival – were shared by Gerardo and René this afternoon, in an exchange that was transmitted through Cubadebate’s Facebook page.

Some of Gerardo and René’s impressions of the film

René:

The film, as many people have said, is not exactly the story of the Five, it is the story of part of the Five, but it also goes beyond that to the story of the confrontation between Cuba and the United States. It seems important to me that from the point of view of a European, who has no direct relationship with this conflict of so many years, a film has been made on a subject that, during the time in which this story unfolded, was a subject censored by the media of the world. That is the fundamental value of the film. I know that it will generate debate in the Cuban public, because it is the most difficult audience for a film like this. This is because it knows the case, it lived it. If the film gets a rating of 50 points from Cuban viewers, it’s a good film.

Gerardo:

What I liked most about the film was the boldness of placing the subject of terrorism in Hollywood. It is known that in Miami they have threatened to burn cinemas that show it. I think it’s brave to make a film that, without being pro-Cuban, embraces the truth and this truth favors us because we’ve been the victims for more than half a century.

René:

The film shows 50 years of aggression, terrorism, crimes against Cuba. They are not so afraid of the film as they are of the story, a story that if they could have told it they would have done it, they have money, connections. This was a trial in which the 12 members of the jury, when they left the courtroom, took an oath of silence, did not dare to speak. In another case, each one of those 12 members would have made his book of when he was a juror in the case of the 5.

This case filled the judicial system, the judge, the jury, the prosecutors with shame, that’s why it’s a story that they can’t tell and that they’re afraid of, and that for so long they hid and tried to let nobody know. They are afraid that the history of U.S. aggression against Cuba, for so many years, will be known.

Expect an expanded summary of Gerardo and René’s statements to Cubadebate.

In video, Gerardo and René talk about “Red Avispa”.

The Wasp Network

5 months ago Granma, Granma, Translations,

SPECTATOR’S CHRONICLE

The Wasp Network

Finally screened at the 41st New Latin American Film Festival, The Wasp Network (Olivier Assayas, 2019) makes it clear with historical objectivity that the Cubans who infiltrated counterrevolutionary Miami exile organizations  had the right to watch over their country’s security.

————————————————————————————————————-

Author: Rolando Pérez Betancourt | internet@granma.cu
December 8, 2019 22:12:47

A CubaNews translation. Edited by Walter Lippmann.

Finally exhibited at the 41st New Latin American Film Festival, The Wasp Network (Olivier Assayas, 2019) makes it clear with historical objectivity that the Cubans who infiltrated counterrevolutionary Miami exile organizations had the right to watch over the security of their country, and thus stop the wave of terrorist attacks of the 1990s carried out under the protection of the United States.

This is an important aspect to be taken into account in the film by the Frenchman Assayas, a prestigious director whose work is known in our country. He has made it possible to appreciate the sensitivity of an artist capable of tackling the most dissimilar human problems from intimate stories.

Based on the book The Last Soldiers of the Cold War, by Fernando Morais, Assayas himself wrote the script about a conflict that – it could not be otherwise – establishes who are the aggressors and who are the victims in a history that goes back half a century.

It was enough for the Miami counterrevolution, without seeing the film, only news after its presentation at the Venice Film Festival, to make a fuss and a pathetic warning: in those lands, the film couldn’t even show its head.

The theme of the Five Heroes and the stories that flow from it would allow us to make a few films and series. But in any work based on reality, there is a selection of events and characters, along with artistic licenses put into function of a dramaturgy and simplification of the plot. From Morais’s book, Assayas highlights what he considered pertinent to build a web of events that span several years and not a few intrigues. Although the film has been promoted as an espionage thriller, the director says that it is a historical vision conceived with the intention of capturing a feat that, after he learned about it it, captivated him.

It was advisable, however, to balance the tone and balance the conflict in such a way that a whole point of view in favor of the revolutionary cause did not prevail in a film with foreign funding and international distribution. Besides, the assumption of the political factor in any subject is always a reason for division of opinions and even entrenchments. These can be seen now, even, in “artistic” criticisms in which ideological positions against the “Cuban communist regime” stand out more than an unprejudiced practice of professional analysis.

But facts are facts and artistic honesty, although it is necessary to qualify, cannot be detached from them.

For this chronicler, The Wasp Network ends up being a film worthy and meritorious to see, which is not free of inconsistencies in its realization. Of these, the most significant, is the dispersion motivated by wanting to cover everything and explain more than necessary, taking into account the possible ignorance of the subject that an international audience could have. In this sense, the script resorts to leaps in time and an entry and exit of characters that leaves gaps in terms of purposes of the story and the lack of roundness of certain situations, such as the one concerning the flight to Cuba undertaken by the infiltrator Juan Pablo Roque (Wagner Moura).

Another debatable card -which for a Cuban spectator has nothing revealing about it- is the surprise factor that is intended to impregnate the infiltrators in Miami. It first, it makes them appear as traitors who escape from the Island and later, in their real function, a double game devoid of the dramatic force that, it is guessed, was among the director’s goals.

The Wasp Network is focused on the stories concerning René González (Édgar Ramírez) and his wife Olga Salanueva (Penélope Cruz, in an excellent performance).

Also the afore-mentioned Roque and the wife who is sought in Miami (Ana de Armas), each couple with their very particular love-political conflicts and was carried with considerable ease in the plot. Gael Garcia Bernal plays Gerardo Hernandez, leader of the group. It would be necessary to see the opinions that the real characters have regarding their characterizations.

The film efficiently reconstructs the terrorist attacks against tourist facilities, shows the maximum faces of the counterrevolutionary exiles and resorts to excerpts from the archives as a reminder that everything that counts comes from reality. This is how President Clinton and Fidel appear separately, towards the end, during an interview with an American journalist. Fidel is conclusive about the right of the most spied country in the world, Cuba, to know what the enemies are doing on U.S. soil to attack the Cuban people.

 

Feature Film on Cuban Five

1 year ago Uncategorized

cuba-debate

Penélope Cruz and Gael García Bernal will act in a film about the Cuban Five 

September 6, 2018

Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.

Spain’s Penélope Cruz and Mexico’s Gael García Bernal will join Venezuelan Edgar Ramírez in the “Wasp Network” cast. Photo: El Comercio

Spain’s Penélope Cruz and Mexico’s Gael García Bernal will join Venezuelan Edgar Ramírez to round off the cast of French director Olivier Assayas’s Wasp Network, RT Features and CG CINEMA announced today in a press release.

WASP NETWORK, whose plot is based on the book THE LAST SOLDIERS OF THE COLD WAR by Brazilian writer Fernando Morais, will focus on the story of a group of Cuban anti-terrorists sent into the United States during the 1990s.

Morais‘ book tells the story of Gerardo Hernández, Fernando González, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero and René González, the Five; and Juan Pablo Roque, another member of the network who returned before the arrest of his companions.

The cast of this feature film will also feature Brazilian Wagner Moura, known for his performance of Colombian drug trafficker Pablo Escobar in the series Narcos.

Winner of the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA (2008), Penélope Cruz released this year the film TODOS LOS SABEN, in which she shares the stage with her husband Javier Bardem, and played Donatella Versace in AMERICAN CRIME STORY: The Assassination Of Gianni Versace, for which she was nominated for the Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series.

Gael García Bernal, winner in 2016 of the Golden Globe for best actor in a comedy series by Mozart in the Jungle, starred this year in the film Museo by Mexican director Alonso Ruizpalacios.

Another film project that will deal with the same theme is currently in production by a Canadian team.

(With information from EFE)

 

“I’m also among the candidates”

2 years ago La Pupila Insomne,

“I’m also among the candidates”
by Antonio Guerrero

CubaNews translation edited by Walter Lippmann.

JANUARY 29, 2018 / from LA PUPILA INSOMNE

A CubaNews translation. Edited by Walter Lippmann.

Antonio Guerrero, a member of the group of comrades Heroes of the Republic known as The Five, referred in his Facebook profile to the post of Raul Capote on the same social network entitled “I AM IN THE CANDIDATURE”. It is not surprising that those who rushed to take advantage of the words of the wife of one of our heroes to attack the legitimacy of the ongoing electoral process in Cuba, against the intention of that comrade, now keep silent on both Tony’s words and those of another Hero of the Group of Five, Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, which we published before.

 “SELFISHNESS IS THE STAIN ON THE WORLD AND DISINTEREST ITS SUN ” JOSÉ MARTÍ

Capote, the last time we met I told you about my limitations to get into the networks [the internet]. I have read your writing and here I am trying to publish something. I AM ALSO AMONG THE CANDIDATES. “The well-told truth, said in time dissipates, as if they were smoke, its enemies.” And I continue with the Apostle. “The duty of a man is where he is most useful.” And “[it] must be fulfilled simply and naturally”. If everyone does their part “nothing can defeat us”.

And what I think is essential to Marti’s thoughts: “If I ever was of any use, I can’t remember: what I want is to be of more use”.

Eternal glory to our National Hero José Martí!

Fools like Silvio and his song.

Faithful always to Fidel and the Revolution.

EVER ONWARD TO VICTORY!

LONG LIVE FREE CUBA!

 

Words from Raúl Capote on his Facebook profile to which Tony refers:

In the candidacy for the ANPP there are those who have to be. There are the workers, the peasants, the students, the humble citizen and the brilliant professor, the heroes and the unknown, working men and women, the Chinese, the black, the mulatto, the white… a broad spectrum of Cuban society.

That the modest and unknown student, almost adolescent, is there, is good; that the peasant from way out in the mountain, the self-employed, our next-door men and women,  women of the neighborhood, very, is very, very good.

There are the non-state sector, health, research, education, as well as the peasant and the cooperative member, workers of culture, the media, the military, sports, religious institutions and social organizations.

We are not going to vote for an assembly only of generals and doctors, there are the people, the free country represented in all its dignity.

Of the 605 Parliament candidates nominated on January 21, 47.4% are delegates from constituencies; therefore, all municipalities in the country will have representation in Parliament with at least two deputies, and one of them of municipal origin.

Women represent 53.22%, which places us as the second Parliament in the world with the largest female participation, “The vote of an entire people, of all the constant and visible entities of the Cuban people that can speak frankly, is an honor such that it anoints the one who receives it, cleanses his heart of the passions that could disturb him, and magnifies, as if by divine dispensation, the sworn forces over all the obligations of the earth, taking it to the first and foremost one: to build man a safe and decorous house on the independent soil of the homeland”. (Jose Marti)

Our democracy, new, sincere and truly popular, is based on Marti’s principle, With all and for the good of all; and it needs, given the danger of the greater war that is being waged against us, the unity of the revolutionaries. Such is the main legacy of Fidel, UNITY UNITY UNITY

Comrades all, let us all vote for all. I am also among the candidates, not in name but worthy and fully represented.

 

Outrageous

2 years ago La Pupila Insomne, Translations

Outrageous

This is an English translation of a posting on Iroel Sanchez’ blog, La Pupila Insomne.
January 29, 2018

A CubaNews translation. Edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews

On Saturday, January 27, [2018] I posted a comment on Raúl Capote Fernández’s Facebook profile to which Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, Hero of the Republic of Cuba, replied as follows: 

“Certainly, brother Iroel, anyone who has an honest opinion has the right to express it, but it’s outrageous to see the way some opportunists who never raised their voice in defense of The Five when it was most needed are now throwing up their hands in horror to ‘defend us’ by adding fuel to the fire…”

This was Gerardo’s reply to my comment: 

“Right this minute I can’t but remember that the owner of the journal OnCuba described as ‘unfortunate’ musician Francis del Río’s demand of freedom for The Five on Miami television. ‘It’s like going to a synagogue to speak ill of the Jews”, the said owner remarked at the time, putting Southern Florida’s filthy media on a level with a temple, and stating the journal’s view that Alan Gross was the ‘U.S. contractor imprisoned in Cuba for acts against the law’—it could be assumed that he drove through the red light or a ‘Stop’ rather than being involved in U.S. Cuba policy of subversion. Our heroes, however, were serving ‘harsh sentences’—never unjust ones—‘because they were working for the Cuban State Security apparatus.”

 

Strengthening Cuban Socialism

2 years ago CubaDebate, , ,

 cuba-debate

Ramón Labañino: The changes in Cuba aim at improving our Socialism, not dismantling it

By Yunier Javier Sifonte Díaz
October 24, 2017

As part of the academic program of the I International Scientific Convention of the “Marta Abreu” Central University of Las Villas (UCLV), Ramón Labañino, Hero of the Republic of Cuba, gave a keynote address today and spoke with those present about the main challenges of updating the Cuban economic model.

With a title as controversial as “Is Cuba returning to Capitalism?” , the Vice-President of the Cuban National Association of Economists and Accountants, presented in his talk the main characteristics of the national context. He discussed the need to understand the changes made in the Island as a way of working to ensure a better standard of living and an equitable and fair benefit for all citizens of the nation.

“The name of my talk is just a hook, a provocation to discussion, but what really matters is to draw attention to the most negative characteristics of capitalism and what are the inviolable essences in our country in order to maintain the social model chosen by the island for more than 50 years,” he added.

In his presentation, Labañino outlined the main characteristics seen in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics years before the fall of Socialism in that country. The role of the party, the need to keep the media in the hands of the people, to avoid regionalism, as well as the “wholesale privatization and commodification of the socialist economy” are factors that are essential for us not to repeat in Cuba the mistakes made in the Eurasian nation, he said.

He also referred to the importance of preserving the policy of a single party against alternatives aimed at dismantling that idea and advocated confronting imperialism’s cultural war with intelligence and a critical sense.

“The single party strengthens us as a nation. Defending alternative formulas to ours, based on a model of democracy that has already proven its ineffectiveness in many countries, means playing Imperialism’s game. Our party has the essences of that created by Marti in 1892: anti-imperialist, sovereign and with a defense of national dignity as the first inviolable law. These characteristics make it strong and necessary in every moment of the country’s history. “

Issues such as monetary dualism, the role of the press in the country, non-agricultural cooperatives, work in the agricultural sector, the development of the labor force in the public and private sectors and the need to increase labor productivity in all the areas of the country as a basic rule to achieve an effective growth of the Cuban economy, were also among the main issues discussed between the Hero and the delegates gathered to hear it.

Regarding the new economic figures that emerged in the heat of the changes implemented in the Cuban economy, Ramón spoke about their importance to free the state from the unnecessary wear and tear of controlling small spheres, but warned of the importance of carrying them out so that their income also plays a key role in the development of society.“What we transfer to private hands is not property, but the management of social property,” he summarized.

Similarly, Labañino discussed  the relevance of the main transformations to the economic, political and social model of the country. He defended the idea of ​​that these changes are essential for subsistence as a nation, but always for the sake of maintaining our social achievements .

“In a highly democratic process, the greatest news was consulted with the majority of Cubans, because one of our great strengths is that the measures applied are based on all citizens, especially to defend the most underprivileged. Although we want a greater speed in implementation, sometimes we must stop, rectify what is wrong and move forward, because we can not afford to make mistakes and waste the few resources at our disposal,” he said.

After his comments, the Hero of the Republic of Cuba talked exclusively with Cubadebate. He said the the merit of sharing his experiences in an event like the one organized by the UCLV, a Department of Advanced Studies “with highly-qualified professionals in both the technological and the political, as well as the scientific and academic.”

Likewise, Labañino spoke of his experience of returning to the island after 15 years of absence. He said he found a country “always changing, with a beautiful and well-done opening, especially since there is an awareness that the transformations in our society exist because of an historical necessity and not because of a whim or an idea of ​​playing at Capitalism,” he said.

Questioned on the main challenges for Cuba’s present and future, Labañino did not hesitate to describe the blockade imposed by the United States as the first of them. “Although people sometimes do not see it, every economic action bears its stamp. If this were not so, our country would do better, because we have a high cultural and educational level, natural conditions and a high professional capacity to rub shoulders with first world nations. “

In a simple dialogue, always open to discussion and sharing experiences, the anti-terrorist fighter recalled the importance of knowing history so as not to repeat negative experiences. Likewise, in these times of “empty and manipulative discourses,” he highlighted Fidel Castro’s legacy for the construction of an increasingly prosperous and inclusive country. He warned of the importance of maintaining essential principles of the Cuban Revolution, such as internationalism, anti-imperialism and solidarity with the peoples of the Third World.

Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews. Thanks to Walter Tillow for bringing this to my attention. Thanks to Emile Schepers for assistance with the translation. (He caught my mistakes and made suggestions to fix them.)

Gerardo dreamed of being a father

3 years ago CubaDebate, , ,

 cuba-debate

Gerardo, the hero, dreamed of being a father

And he has fulfilled it, three times

By L Eduardo Domínguez, Claudia Yilén Paz Joa
June 17, 2017

When Sunday is celebrated in several regions of the world as Father’s Day, Gerardo Hernandez and Adriana Perez, will have two new reasons to celebrate the special date. The family they built together, fighting two life sentences and 15 years, has already grown to five members, like the five who were the heroes of their cause. The three children born in less than three years, although it is hard to believe, were dreamed of almost exactly as they arrived.

What is a day in the life of the hero who named in letters the children who were going to be born? How did he feed his hope and that of his beloved, more than ninety miles from an infernal hollow? What does a man feel when he fulfills all his dreams and a review of his life is full of impressive coincidences?

Behind the studio glass headsets and microphones are adjusted. They are ready now. Excited and happy, they share laughter and tears, after the poem that provokes memories, music and anecdotes of love. Don’t stop listening to the exclusive interview with the Hero of the Republic of Cuba that from his space “The Light of Memory”, Radio Rebelde gives to parents on their day this Sunday at 11:00 p.m. At Cubadebate we bring you the exclusive. 

A CubaNews translation by Walter Lippmann.

 

It’s premature to speak about normalizing US-Cuban relations

4 years ago Translations, , ,
  • English
  • Español
 

EL NUEVO DIA [Puerto Rico]]

It’s premature to speak about normalizing US-Cuban relations

One of the so-called five heroes of Cuba offers his views on Barack Obama’s visit to Cuba

Saturday, March 19, 2016 – 12:00 AM By Benjamín Morales Meléndez / Especial ELNUEVODIA.COM

A CubaNews translation.
Edited by Walter Lippmann.

INTERNATIONAL

By Benjamín Morales Meléndez / Especial ELNUEVODIA.COM

gerardo-bird

Gerardo Hernandez Nordelo says he feels no bitterness about the visit of US President Barack Obama to Cuba.

HAVANA, Cuba – Gerardo Hernandez was imprisoned in the US on charges of espionage and returned to his country as a result of an agreement that was part of the negotiations that allowed announcement of the resumption of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States on December 17, 2014.

He is very aware of this visit, because he has firsthand knowledge of US society and closely follows the evolution of relations between Cuba and the United States.
El Nuevo Día spoke with Hernandez in Havana. These were his answers in a short interview during the International Information Technologies Fair.

END: How do you feel about the US president coming to your country?

GHN: The first thing I feel about Obama’s visit is anxiety due to the historic moment we are living and for the privilege of living these times here. Some people say to me: “Don’t you feel a bit bitter because the president of the country that kept you in jail is coming here and is received amicably?” I say: “No, nothing like that; it’s very important for me that these steps are being taken in order to normalize relations between the two countries, although it is no secret for anyone that much remains to be done.

END: What is the impact of this visit of President Barack Obama?

GHN: “There are many things and pending issues to be talking about normalization, but obviously this is an important step and this visit is a historic moment, especially if you consider the number of years since a president in office came to Cuba. Also, if you take into account that he will be received by our president Raul Castro, I think there is also symbolism there, because for many years Cuba has repeatedly been saying that we are willing to talk with anyone and resolve our disputes with anyone, as long as it was on the basis of mutual respect; and that is exactly what is happening now. Conditions were set by the other side: that no Castro could be in power; that elections had to be carried out in such and such way… None of that has happened and yet we sit to talk about the opening of Cuba and about our differences on a basis of respect for sovereignty.

END: Is it time that this visit be reciprocal and that President Castro visits the White House?

GHN: I would like to see that, I think that diplomatically the gesture would be mandatory. People who have lived with a hateful discourse for many years will be opposed and will criticize President Obama for that; but I think Obama’s visit to Cuba makes it increasingly possible that President Raul Castro visits the United States.

END: Do you think that the presence of candidates like Donald Trump and Ted Cruz affects the relations between Cuba and the United States; to what extent?

GHN: Their messages will not have an influence on the majority of the US people. They are playing their political cards because in those campaigns nothing that happens is casual. They are wrongly relying on Florida as a center of power of the extreme right which opposes rapprochement between Cuba and the United States. I say wrongly because all the polls show that a majority in Florida support the normalization of relations with Cuba. They are still betting on that, thinking that Florida´s recalcitrant sector could give them the win, but I do not think it´s the case.

END: Would you like to be able to speak with Obama? What would you say to him?

GHN: I don´t think it would be possible, but it would not displease me. Despite the fact that many of the promises made by President Obama have remained unfulfilled and much more was expected of him, he has obviously played a historic role. With regard to Cuba we must recognize his merit for having taken very courageous and important steps. I would like to meet him.

END: Is it right that Cuba will present a petition on behalf of Puerto Rican Oscar López Rivera?

GHN: Our country, our people, our government have always been supportive in the general sense of the Puerto Rican people and in particular about the release of Oscar López Rivera. If that could be done it would be very good; because Oscar deserves to be free after so many years in jail.

 

 

EL NUEVO DIA [Puerto Rico]]

Temprano para hablar de normalización de relaciones entre Cuba y EE.UU.

Uno de los llamados cinco héroes de Cuba ofrece su percepción sobre la visita de Barack Obama a Cuba

sábado, 19 de marzo de 2016 – 12:00 AM

Por Benjamín Morales Meléndez / Especial ELNUEVODIA.COM

Gerardo Hernández Nordelo señala que no siente amargura por la visita del presidente de Estados Unidos, Barack Obama, a Cuba. (Suministrada)

Gerardo Hernández Nordelo señala que no siente amargura por la visita del presidente de Estados Unidos, Barack Obama, a Cuba. (Suministrada)

LA HABANA, Cuba – Gerardo Hernández Nordelo estuvo preso en Estados Unidos acusado de espionaje y volvió a su país como parte de un acuerdo enmarcado en las negociaciones que dieron paso al anuncio de la reanudación de relaciones diplomáticas entre Cuba y Estados Unidos el 17 de diciembre de 2014.

Él está muy pendiente de esta visita, pues conoce de primera mano la sociedad estadounidense y sigue de cerca la evolución de las relaciones entre Cuba y Estados Unidos.

 

El Nuevo Día habló en La Habana con Hernández Nordelo. Estas fueron sus respuestas en una corta entrevista concedida en el marco de la Feria Internacional de Informática.

END: ¿Qué le provoca que el presidente de Estados Unidos venga su país?

GFN: Lo primero que me provoca la visita de Obama es agitación por el momento histórico que estamos viviendo y por el privilegio que representa estar aquí viviendo este momento. Hay personas que me dicen: ‘tú no sientes un poco de amargura porque el presidente del país que te tuvo preso venga de visita y se perciba amistosamente’. Yo le digo que no, que nada de eso, que para mí es muy importante que se estén dando estos pasos en aras de normalizar las relaciones entre los dos países, aunque no es un secreto para nadie que nos queda mucho por avanzar.

END: ¿Cuál es el impacto de esta visita del presidente Barack Obama?

GFN: “Hay muchas cosas y asignaturas pendientes para que se pueda hablar de normalización, pero obviamente se trata de un paso importante y un momento histórico esta visita, sobre todo si se tiene en cuenta la cantidad de años que no venía a Cuba un presidente en funciones. Además, si se toma en cuenta que será recibido por nuestro presidente Raúl Castro, pues pienso que también hay un simbolismo ahí, ya que por muchos años Cuba estuvo diciendo que nosotros estábamos dispuestos a conversar con quien sea y a resolver nuestros diferendos con quien sea, siempre que fuera sobre las bases del respeto mutuo y eso es exactamente lo que está ocurriendo ahora. Del otro lado es que ponían las condiciones, de si un Castro no podía estar en el poder, de si hay que hacer elecciones así o asao… Nada de eso ha ocurrido y sin embargo estamos sentados conversando sobre la apertura de Cuba y sobre nuestras diferencias sobre una base de respeto a la soberanía.

END: ¿Es tiempo de que esta visita sea recíproca y que el presidente Castro vaya a la Casa Blanca?

GFN: A mí me gustaría, pienso que diplomáticamente el gesto se impone. La gente que ha vivido por un discurso de odio por muchos años se van a oponer y van a criticar al presidente Obama por eso, pero yo pienso que esta visita de Obama a Cuba hace cada vez más posible una visita del presidente Raúl Castro a Estados Unidos.

END: ¿Cuánto crees que afectará las relaciones entre Cuba y Estados Unidos la presencia de candidatos como Donald Trump y Ted Cruz?

GFN: Esos mensajes no van a tener influencias en la generalidad del pueblo norteamericano. Ellos están jugando sus cartas políticas, porque en esas campañas nada es casual. Ellos están contando erróneamente con Florida como un centro de poder de la extrema derecha que se opone al acercamiento entre Cuba y Estados Unidos. Digo erróneamente porque ya todas las encuestas reflejan un apoyo mayoritario en Florida hacia la normalización de las relaciones con Cuba. Ellos siguen apostando a eso todavía, pensando que ese sector recalcitrante de Florida podría darles el triunfo, pero no creo que sea el caso.

 

END: ¿Te gustaría poder conversar con Obama, qué le dirías?

GFN: No es algo que creo sea posible, pero tampoco me disgustaría. El presidente Obama a pesar de que muchas de sus promesas se han quedado incumplidas y se esperaba todavía más de él, obviamente ha jugado un papel histórico y con relación a Cuba hay que reconocerle el mérito de que ha dado pasos muy valientes e importantes. A mí me agradecería conocerlo.

END: ¿Sería correcto que Cuba le presente una petición a favor del puertorriqueño Oscar López Rivera?

GFN: Nuestro país, nuestro pueblo, nuestro gobierno han sido siempre solidarios en el sentido general con el pueblo puertorriqueño y en lo específico con la liberación de Oscar López Rivera. Si eso se pudiera hacer sería muy bueno, porque Oscar merece ser libre tras tantos años en la cárcel.

 

 

“They want to destroy the Cuban Revolution with a bear hug.”

4 years ago Translations, , ,
  • English
  • Español
 

EL PAÍS

Gerardo Hernández / Former Cuban Spy

“They want to destroy the Cuban Revolution with a bear hug.”

Juan Jesús Aznarez
Madrid 28 ENE 2016 – 20:59 CET

A CubaNews translation.
Edited by Walter Lippmann.

gerardo-el-pais

Former Cuban spy Gerardo Hernandez in Madrid. Bernardo Pérez

Considered the operational leader of the network of five Cuban agents arrested in 1988 he proclaims himself a revolutionary with the same convictions of 20 years ago.

“They want to destroy us with their bear hug.” Gerardo Hernandez, 50, a militant since he was 15, is not one more member of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC). Nor are the intentions he attributes to the United States merely rhetorical.

Considered the operational leader of the network of five Cuban agents arrested in 1988 by the FBI –each one decorated in the island with the title of Hero of the Republic– and released under the bi-national relaxation announced on December 17, 2014, Hernandez has access to Raul Castro and the top echelon of the party. He proclaims himself a revolutionary with the convictions that nearly 20 years ago led him to accept a dangerous mission: to infiltrate the most violent anti-Castro groups in Florida and report on their activities.

His release after 16 years in prison was the main demand of the Cuban regime to open the process towards diplomatic normalization. Hernandez’s case was the most complex and his sentence –passed by a federal court– the hardest: two life sentences on charges of espionage, conspiracy to commit murder and document forgery. A few days ago he traveled to Spain to thank the solidarity of supporters and to visit Gran Canaria, where his mother, who died in 2009, was born. Hernandez believes that the new US policy: tourist, diplomatic, commercial, cultural and sports exchanges, resemble a “bear hug” because its aim is to undermine the system from within.

“We have reasons for being very cautious. The US has always seen my country as its backyard and there are powerful interests that now see an opportunity to achieve what they’ve been unable to achieve by other means for half a century,” he said during an interview at the Cuban Embassy in Madrid.”Many people want a real approach but influential congressmen and the Administration itself have not given up their intentions toward Cuba. And the goal has always been to destroy the revolution.They are betting on doing so now with a bear hug.” Hernandez’s biography shows no ideological fissures: he was a distinguished member in the Union of Young Communists (UJC), participated in 54combat missions in Angola (1989), and in the mid-nineties he headed the so-calledWasp spy network in the US.

Contrary to those who suspect that there are still undisclosed commitments, he maintains that the negotiations between the US and Cuba began without preconditions or intractable issues, without the Cuban government agreeing to promote political openings in the island in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. “I do not know what they have in mind, but I assure you that this process was begun on the basis that discussions would be conducted as equals, without preconditions, with respect and sovereignty.” In January 2015 his only daughter was born, conceived at a distance, from prison, because his wife was banned from visiting him. Assisted reproduction was authorized during the secret talks prior to the official announcement in 2014.

The former intelligence officer distrusts Washington.”There are allocations, large sums of money, public or not,earmarked for subversion in Cuba; but whatever changes that are to occur will do so by the will and the wish of the Cubans.” He does not believe in multi-party systems because he says it goes against”our own history. Marti spoke of the party of the Cuban nation. I have no crystal ball to predict the future and the changes and consensus that may exist in our population.Circumstances change, as does our own reality, but now the vast majority of Cubans want our system to remain socialist.” Following is the interview with this unshakable revolutionary.

Question. Can you quantify the social support of the revolution?

Answer. I could not tell if in 1970 it had 90% and now it´s 77%. I do not think anyone has the figures, but you can rest assured that without the backing of the majority of the people the revolution could never endure.

Q. So you would have to consult the people to confirm that majority, right?

A. It´s already been done. One of the processes of popular consultation was to discuss the guidelines (documents of the 6th Congress of the Party, 2011) Millions of opinions were collected on where the people want Cuba to go and what modifications should be made.

Q. Is it possible to incorporate the political participation of sectors outside the party?

A. Our electoral system provides for that possibility. There are cases of unaffiliated persons that have been proposed at community level. Not being a party member is not a limitation.

Q. But people inhibit themselves because they believe that there is nothing to do.

A. It would be illogical for a government that waged a war to win the revolution to encourage its own opposition.

Q. You propose to improve Socialism? What socialism are you referring to?

A. I insist that it has to bear the the name of Cuban because we already made the mistake of copying from other places and that didn’t work out well. It has to incorporate any mechanism as long as it benefits the majority and has the support of the majority

Q. And the means of production owned by the state?

A. Our revolution has no plans to privatize them. That would go against the fundamental principles of socialism.

Q. Also social inequalities caused by the privatization of services go against socialism. Do they not?

A. There are risks involved. The important thing is to give people equal opportunities. Blind egalitarianism leads nowhere. If a man makes money with his work without exploiting anyone, let it be welcome.

Q It seems that the Cuban youth live outside ideology.

A. They [the US] rely on the generational change of our historical leadership: that young Cubans have a different mentality, and do not have the same commitment to the revolution. It is their aspiration. And we must prepare ourselves for that.

 

 

 

EL PAÍS

“Quieren destruir la revolución cubana con el abrazo del oso”

Considerado el jefe de la red de cinco agentes de la Isla detenidos en EE UU, se proclama revolucionario con las mismas convicciones que hace casi 20 años

Juan Jesús Aznarez
Madrid 28 ENE 2016 – 20:59 CET

gerardo-el-pais
El exespía cubano Gerardo Hernández, en Madrid. Bernardo Pérez

“Quieren destruirnos con el abrazo del oso”. Gerardo Hernández, de 50 años, militante desde los 15, no es un miembro más del Partido Comunista de Cuba (PCC), ni las intenciones que atribuye a Estados Unidos son retóricas. Considerado el jefe operativo de la red de cinco agentes cubanos detenidos en 1988 por el FBI, condecorados todos en la isla con el título de Héroes de la República, y liberados en el marco de la distensión binacional anunciada el 17 de diciembre de 2014, Hernández tiene acceso a Raúl Castro y al vértice del partido. Se proclama revolucionario con las convicciones que hace casi 20 años le llevaron a aceptar una misión peligrosa: infiltrarse entre los grupos anticastristas más violentos de Florida e informar sobre sus actividades.

Su excarcelación después de 16 años en prisión fue la principal exigencia del régimen cubano para abrir el proceso hacia la normalización diplomática. El caso de Hernández era el más complejo y la pena impuesta por un tribunal federal, la más dura: dos cadenas perpetuas con cargos de espionaje, conspiración para el asesinato y falsedad documental. Hace pocos días viajó a España para agradecer la solidaridad de sus simpatizantes y visitar Gran Canarias, donde nació su madre, fallecida en 2009. Hernández considera que la nueva política norteamericana, el turismo, los intercambios diplomáticos, comerciales, culturales y deportivos, se asemejan al “abrazo del oso” porque su objetivo es socavar el sistema desde dentro.

“Tenemos razones para ser muy cautelosos. Estados Unidos siempre ha visto a mi país como su patio trasero y hay poderosos intereses que ven ahora una oportunidad para lograr lo que no han podido por otros medios durante medio siglo”, declara durante una entrevista en la embajada de Cuba en Madrid. “Muchas personas quieren un acercamiento real, pero congresistas con influencia y también la propia Administración no ha renunciado a sus objetivos con Cuba. Y el objetivo siempre ha sido destruir la revolución. Están apostando a que ahora podrán hacerlo con el abrazo del oso”. La biografía de Hernández no presenta fisuras ideológicas: destaca en la Unión de Jóvenes Comunistas, (UJC), cumple 54 misiones de combate en Angola (1989) y a mediados de los noventa dirige en EE UU la denominada red de espionaje Avispa.

Contrariamente a quienes sospechan de compromisos todavía sin desvelar, sostiene que las negociaciones entre Estados Unidos y Cuba comenzaron sin condiciones previas ni temas inabordables, pero sin que el Gobierno cubano aceptara promover aperturas políticas en la isla a cambio del levantamiento de sanciones. “No sé lo que tendrán ellos en mente, pero yo le aseguro que este proceso se inició sobre la base de que se discutiría de igual a igual, sin precondiciones, con respeto y soberanía”. En enero de 2015 nació su única hija, concebida a la distancia, desde la cárcel, porque se prohibió cualquier visita de su esposa. La reproducción asistida fue autorizada durante las conversaciones secretas previas al anuncio oficial de 2014

El exagente de inteligencia desconfía de Washington. “Hay partidas, grandes sumas, públicas o no, dedicadas a la subversión en Cuba, pero los cambios que vayan a ocurrir ocurrirán por la voluntad y el deseo de los cubanos”. No cree en el pluripartidismo porque dice que atenta contra “nuestra propia historia. Ya Martí habló del partido de la nación cubana. No tengo una bola de cristal para predecir el futuro y los cambios y consensos que pueda haber en nuestra población. Las circunstancias cambian, y nuestra propia realidad, pero ahora la gran mayoría de los cubanos quiere que nuestro sistema siga siendo socialista”. A continuación, la entrevista con este baluarte revolucionario.

Pregunta. ¿Puede cuantificar el apoyo social de la revolución?

Respuesta. No podría decirle si en el año 70 tuvo un 90% y ahora un 77%. No creo que nadie tenga los números, pero puede estar convencido de que sin la mayoría del pueblo la revolución no resiste.

P. Entonces habría que consultar al pueblo para confirmar esa mayoría, ¿no?
R. Ya se hizo. Uno de los procesos de consulta popular fue para discutir los lineamientos (documentos del VI Congreso del partido de 2011) Se recogieron millones de opiniones de la población sobre hacia donde quiere que Cuba vaya y qué modificaciones hacemos.
P. ¿Es posible incorporar la participación política de sectores ajenos al partido?
R. Nuestro sistema electoral establece esa posibilidad. Hay casos de personas sin afiliación que se han propuesto a nivel de comunidad. No es una limitación no ser del partido
P. Pero la gente se inhibe porque cree que no hay nada que hacer
R. Sería ilógico que un Gobierno al que costó una guerra hacer una revolución estimulara su propia oposición
P. Propone perfeccionar el socialismo. ¿A qué socialismo se refiere?
R. Yo insisto en el apellido de cubano porque ya cometimos el error de copiar de otras latitudes y no nos salió bien. Tiene que incorporar cualquier mecanismo siempre que beneficie a la mayoría y cuente con el apoyo de la mayoría
P.¿Y los medios de producción en manos del Estado?
R. No está en los planes de nuestra revolución privatizarlos. Eso iría en contra de los principios fundamentales del socialismo
P. También las desigualdades sociales originadas con la privatización de los servicios van contra el socialismo. ¿No?
R. Son riesgos que se corren. Lo importante es darle a la gente la igualdad de oportunidades. El igualitarismo a ciegas no conduce a nada. Si un hombre está haciendo dinero con su trabajo sin explotar a nadie bienvenido sea
P. Da la impresión de que la juventud cubana vive ajena a la ideología
R. Ellos [EE UU] confían en el cambio generacional de nuestra dirigencia histórica: en que los jóvenes cubanos tienen otra mentalidad, y no tienen el mismo compromiso con la revolución. A eso aspiran. Y es algo para lo que debemos prepararnos.

 

Jacob Perasso: “I Love Cuba”

4 years ago Translations,
  • English
  • Español

JuvReb

Jacob Perasso: I love Cuba

Yuniel Labacena Romero 
digital@juventudrebelde.cu
January 13, 2016 20:39:18 CDT

A CubaNews translation. Edited by Walter Lippmann.

perasso-jr

Jacob Perasso (left) during his last visit to Cuba Photo: Calixto N. Llanes

At only 20 years of age, Jacob Perasso witnessed how US policemen killed a worker very near to him. Since then he lead the struggle of young workers in his country and has strengthened his links with the largest island in the Antilles, whose reality he disseminates every minute.

The language barrier did not become an issue. He speaks almost perfect Spanish that might confuse those who hear him, with his very white skin, blue eyes and his portrait of the capitalist crisis. One may think that he was born in any country except where he lives, works, dreams, suffers the injustices of the system, and leads the struggle of young workers: the United States of America

I met Jacob Perasso while walking the corridors of the Conventions Palace in Havana, one of the venues of the 19th General Assembly of the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY). We talked on the first day of the event and then we made an appointment to have this dialogue –which was finally done via email. The young man shared experiences and emotions arising from his links with Cuba.

A representative of the Socialist Youth and the Socialist Workers Party in his country, Jacob first came to Cuba in 1996. He was 20 years old. At that time he saw policemen in the US kill a worker very near to him. “The man had no weapons; 12 policemen beat him in the head to death and we had a demonstration in my neighborhood to bring them to jail.”

“I began my struggle against police brutality. Someone told me that in Cuba people are not treated like that. Shortly after, I was invited to participate in an exchange between youth organizations and I became very interested in knowing how everything was. So I found the socialist movement; I saw that a different world is possible and that there is a possibility of changing the values of human beings through a revolutionary struggle. Those were my reasons to start defending the Cuban Revolution,” said the young man, who today works as a clerk in the US railroad system.

He tells us that that first visit and the dozen he’s already made have contributed much to his political thinking. “The socialist revolution in Cuba is an example in the struggle against imperialism, because the people have withstood many years of attacks by the capitalist class of the country where I live. Your ability to fight and win is a sign of the awareness that people on this planet should have.

“Therefore, when I return to my country I report on that reality, the one that the mass media conceals. In addition, I continue the process of building an organization that is able to represent our interests and lead the struggle within the United States. Cuba’s example gives us the proof –along with the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution in Russia– that it is possible to reorganize society with a government that meets the needs of the working class.”

Believing in their innocence

Jacob was a constant participant in the struggle for the return of the Five. He says that he always believed they were innocent and more so when he investigated the case, knowing that Gerardo, Ramón, Antonio, Fernando and René “infiltrated terrorist organizations to prevent the danger not only to their nation but to my own also, and that is a lawful act for any patriot.”

He thus strengthened the struggle within the United States and organized activities where he spoke with workers, youth and other sectors about the truth of the case. Along with many of his colleagues, he went door-to-door in different neighborhoods, arranged art exhibitions with works of the Five in museums, universities and libraries, and organized open meetings with students so that more people got to know about the case. During this struggle he used the book The Cuban Five and The Militant newspaper, a weekly publication in which he disseminated information on the subject.

“Some of the attacks on the Five are commonly used against our working class in the fight against the system. We explained that the battle for freedom of the Five was also theirs. During their time in prison they won support from other prisoners who are part of the working class in the United States and this was a great motivation. Gradually more people were learning about the case and were willing to take the risks in this battle and are still denouncing injustices.”

The hardest part of the battle

It was explaining why the Five were fighting, why it was so important to defend them and why the working class of the United States should join in that fight. So when we learned of their return to Cuba, I was glad and so were my colleagues. I felt happy, and soon I thought more about the possibility of advancing our work in defense of the Revolution, because the resistance of its people –more than anything else– achieved this victory.

“During this time we have learned a lot from the Five; it’s not for nothing they are called heroes. Their behavior and disinterested support of good causes, not only of their country but also of the world, are evidence of the values that the Revolution has sown in all its children. I am quite sure that if we follow the example in Cuba and the United States, we will win all our battles.”

Recently Cuba and the United States restored diplomatic relations; what is your opinion about this?

“It’s a triumph. Washington had to change its policy, while Cuba did not give in one bit of its principles. However, we have to be alert because their goals have not changed; only the methods. The Democratic and Republican parties agree to create a movement against the Revolution and socialism from within. That is why they have not removed the cruel economic, financial and commercial blockade nor want to return the territory illegally occupied by the US naval base in Guantanamo.”

“We now reinforce these new causes for struggle –which are not new– and disclose the need to stand against these things. We conduct several actions in our country because we know that the US government continues to wage war against Cuba in all areas, though sometimes they try to show otherwise.”

Showing the Cuban reality

In his college years, Jacob never shared the values that he was being taught in favor of capitalism. Gradually he made up his mind in favor of worthy causes of the world and has strengthened his resolve in the struggles he leads in his workplace for the safety of his fellow workers.

“The railway is an industry in which the ruling class puts its employees and communities in great danger. In recent years we defeated an attempt by the owners to have only one person staffing each train; and today, even though there are still two, we keep up our struggle, because our rights are frequently violated.”

“Our government is the one who least defends the rights of our society; our country is the only one that has used the atomic bomb and who continues to ravage mankind with its killing machine. For them it would be better that we did not exist and that is unforgivable. There is no comparison with your Revolution which spreads love all over the world, supporting revolutionary movements and fighting for the rights of the oppressed. That’s why I love Cuba.”

“In Cuba, life is not easy, but the mentality of the human being is different. We do not have, for example, fundamental safeguards such as health, sports, education and culture, or doctors who want to go to Africa to fight Ebola, as you did. In my country, there is no solidarity among people and many times you do not have the chance to know these things. It is important that you preserve your history and let everyone know what the Cuban people have lived through.”

How do you manage to be a militant in a country where very few defend socialist ideas?

The United States is also a nation with history; we have a tradition of struggle. We face many difficulties when we want to explain the perspective of a socialist revolution. Luckily, at present we function as a legally established organization; and the support by many people is our greatest defense against the government. The difference between Cuba and the United States is that our country stands for the ruling class; the capitalists. Here you defend the workers: the people.

“In recent years the class struggle in the United States has deepened and millions of workers have begun to resist the effects of the capitalist economic downturn. Some begin to think more about the political rights we need to fight for, and see that capitalism has no future. In that context the interest in Cuba has grown as an example of a different alternative.”

“Most of the working class is interested in knowing what the Revolution is; and young Americans have the courage and the wish to help, to learn about everything, because for them, the largest of the Antilles is a reference point you have to look at in the middle of the crisis of capitalism. That is why our responsibility is to explain the reality of the Cuban revolution and defend its cause.”

“In this regard, for many years we have had good relations with the Union of Young Communists, and we work together on exchanges around the World Youth and Student Festivals. Young Cubans must meet the challenge of preserving socialism forever, to confront the pressure of the capitalist world, where the entire system –from education to the laws, courts and police– aim to isolate each individual and each family.”

Jacob is a young man who loves the arts, films, photography and jazz. Occasionally he is seen playing tennis and swimming –two sports that he likes a lot– as well as reading. Perhaps that is why he said he is eager to participate in the Cuban International Book Fair, since “it is a pleasure to experience that cultural event of the Revolution, where people have access to thousands of titles, to meet writers and intellectuals in order to enhance their knowledge.”

What do you admire most in our country? I ask the young man, and almost without letting me finish he responds: “Its conviction, serenity, deep trust in its leaders and in the revolutionary process. I love its people and their hospitality.”

JuvReb

Yo amo a Cuba

Con solo 20 años de edad, Jacob Perasso fue testigo de cómo la policía estadounidense mató a un trabajador muy cerca de él. Desde entonces guía la lucha de los jóvenes trabajadores de ese país y estrechó sus vínculos con la Mayor de las Antillas, cuya realidad ha divulgado cada minuto

Yuniel Labacena Romero 
digital@juventudrebelde.cu
13 de Enero del 2016 20:39:18 CDT

perasso-jr

Jacob Perasso (izquierda) durante su última visita a Cuba. Foto: Calixto N. Llanes

La barrera del idioma no se tornó complicada. Habla un español casi perfecto que pudiera confundir a quienes lo escuchan, y lo ven con su piel blanquísima, sus ojos claros y su retrato de la crisis capitalista. Podemos pensar que nació en cualquier país menos en el que vive, trabaja, sueña, sufre las injusticias del sistema y donde guía la lucha de los jóvenes trabajadores: Estados Unidos.

A Jacob Perasso lo conocí mientras recorría los pasillos del Palacio de Convenciones de La Habana, una de la sedes de la XIX Asamblea General de la Federación Mundial de Juventudes Democráticas (FMJD). Conversamos el primer día del evento y después nos dimos cita para este diálogo —que terminó vía correo electrónico—, en el que el joven compartió vivencias y emociones de sus vínculos con Cuba.

Representante de la Juventud Socialista y del Partido Socialista de los Trabajadores de su país, Jacob llegó por vez primera a la Mayor de las Antillas en 1996. Tenía 20 años de edad. En ese entonces vio cómo en Estados Unidos la policía mató a un trabajador muy cerca de él. «Aquel hombre no tenía armas; 12 policías lo golpearon en la cabeza hasta asesinarlo e hicimos una manifestación en mi barrio para encarcelarlos.

«Comencé mi lucha contra la brutalidad policiaca. Alguien me comentó que en Cuba no tratan a las personas así. Poco después me invitaron a participar en un intercambio de organizaciones juveniles y me interesé mucho por saber cómo es todo. Así encontré al movimiento socialista; vi que un mundo diferente es posible y que existe la posibilidad de cambiar los valores del ser humano con una lucha revolucionaria. Fueron esas las motivaciones para empezar a defender la Revolución Cubana», dijo el joven, quien hoy labora como empleado en el ferrocarril estadounidense.

Cuenta que esa primera visita y la decena que ya ha realizado han contribuido mucho a su pensamiento político. «La Revolución socialista en Cuba es ejemplo en la pelea contra el imperialismo, pues el pueblo ha resistido muchos años de ataques de la clase capitalista de donde vivo. Su capacidad de luchar y vencer es muestra de la conciencia que deben tener los habitantes en este planeta.

«Por eso, al regresar a mi país divulgo la realidad, esa que ocultan los grandes medios de comunicación. Además, sigo el proceso para edificar una organización que sea capaz de representar nuestros intereses y dirigir la lucha dentro de Estados Unidos. El ejemplo de Cuba nos da la prueba, junto con la Revolución bolchevique de 1917, en Rusia, de que es posible reorganizar la sociedad con un Gobierno que responda a las necesidades de la clase trabajadora».

Creer en la inociencia

Jacob fue parte indisoluble en la lucha por el regreso de los Cinco. Según cuenta siempre creyó en su inocencia y más cuando investigó el caso, al saber que Gerardo, Ramón, Antonio, Fernando y René «infiltraron organizaciones terroristas para prevenir del peligro no solo a su nación sino a la mía también, y ese es un acto lícito para cualquier patriota».

Así fortaleció la batalla dentro de Estados Unidos y desarrolló actividades donde hablaba con los trabajadores, jóvenes y otros sectores sobre la verdad del caso. Junto a muchos de sus colegas fue de puerta en puerta a diferentes barrios, realizó muestras del arte de los Cinco en museos, universidades y bibliotecas, y organizó reuniones abiertas de estudiantes con el propósito de que más gente conociera del caso. Durante esta lucha se valió del libro Los Cinco Cubanos y del periódico The Militant, una publicación semanal en la cual divulgaba información sobre el tema.

«Algunos de los ataques a los Cinco son comúnmente empleados contra nuestra clase trabajadora que lucha contra el sistema. Nosotros explicamos que la batalla por la libertad de los Cinco era también de ellos. Durante su tiempo en la cárcel ganaron apoyo de otros presos que son parte de la clase trabajadora de Estados Unidos y ello motivó mucho. Poco a poco más gente fue aprendiendo del caso y estuvo dispuesta a correr los riesgos de esta batalla y todavía siguen denunciando las injusticias».

—¿Lo más difícil de la batalla?

—Explicar por qué ellos estaban luchando, por qué era tan importante defenderlos y por qué la clase trabajadora de Estados Unidos debía unirse en esa lucha. Por eso cuando supimos de su regreso a Cuba no solo yo me alegré sino también mis colegas. Me sentí feliz, y poco después pensé más en la posibilidad de avanzar en nuestra labor en defensa de la Revolución, pues la resistencia de su pueblo ganó esta victoria más que todas las otras cosas.

«Durante este tiempo hemos aprendido mucho de los Cinco, que no por gusto llamamos héroes. Su comportamiento y desinterés ante el respaldo de las buenas causas no solo de su país sino también del mundo son muestras de los valores que ha formado la Revolución en todos sus hijos. Estoy muy seguro de que si seguimos el ejemplo en Cuba y en Estados Unidos, venceremos en todas nuestras batallas».

—En fecha reciente Cuba y Estados Unidos restablecieron sus relaciones diplomáticas, ¿qué opinión tienes sobre esto?

—Es un triunfo. Washington tuvo que cambiar su política, mientras Cuba no cedió en sus principios ni un ápice. Sin embargo tenemos que estar alertas, ya que sus objetivos no han cambiado, solo los métodos. Los partidos Demócrata y Republicano están de acuerdo en crear un movimiento contra la Revolución y el socialismo desde adentro, por eso no han quitado el cruel bloqueo económico, financiero y comercial ni quieren devolver el territorio ilegalmente ocupado por la base naval en Guantánamo.

«Nosotros reforzamos ahora estas nuevas causas de batalla —que no son nuevas—, y divulgamos la necesidad de estar en contra de estas cosas. Desarrollamos diversas acciones en nuestro país, pues sabemos que la guerra del Gobierno estadounidense sigue contra Cuba en todos los espacios, aunque a veces muestren lo contrario».

Enseñar la realidad cubana

En sus años de estudiante universitario, Jacob nunca compartió los valores que le pretendían enseñar a favor del capitalismo. Poco a poco fue formando su pensamiento a favor de las causas nobles del mundo, este se ha fortalecido en las luchas que desarrolla en su centro de trabajo por la seguridad de sus compañeros.

«El ferrocarril es una industria en la cual la clase dominante pone a sus empleados y comunidades en mucho peligro. En años recientes derrotamos un intento de los patrones de tener solo una persona manejando cada tren, y aunque hoy existen dos, mantenemos nuestra lucha, pues se violan mucho nuestros derechos.

«Nuestro Gobierno es el que menos defiende los derechos de su sociedad; nuestro país es el único que ha usado la bomba atómica y que sigue con su maquinaria acabando con la humanidad, para ellos es mejor que no estemos y eso no tiene perdón con nada. No existe comparación con la Revolución de ustedes que va por el mundo repartiendo amor, apoyando los movimientos revolucionarios y luchando por los derechos de los oprimidos. Por eso yo amo a Cuba.

«En Cuba no es fácil la vida, pero la mentalidad del ser humano es diferente. Nosotros no tenemos, por ejemplo, garantías fundamentales como la salud, el deporte, la educación y la cultura, o doctores que quieran ir a África a combatir el ébola como lo hicieron ustedes. En mi país no se vive la solidaridad entre la gente y muchas veces ustedes no tienen la posibilidad de conocer esas cosas; es importante que preserven su historia y conozcan todo lo que ha vivido el pueblo cubano».

—¿Cómo es posible militar en un país donde muy pocos defienden las ideas socialistas?

—Estados Unidos también es una nación de historia, tenemos tradición de lucha. Enfrentamos muchas dificultades cuando queremos explicar la perspectiva de una revolución socialista. Por suerte, durante este tiempo funcionamos como organización de forma legal y el respaldo de numerosas personas es nuestra mayor defensa contra el Gobierno. La diferencia entre Cuba y Estados Unidos es que en nuestro país se defiende la clase dominante, la capitalista, y ustedes a los trabajadores, al pueblo.

«En los últimos años la lucha de clases en Estados Unidos se ha profundizado, y millones de trabajadores han empezado a resistir los efectos de la caída económica capitalista. Algunos empiezan a pensar más en los derechos políticos que necesitamos para combatir, y piensan que el capitalismo no tiene futuro. En ese contexto se ha incrementado el interés por Cuba, ejemplo de una alternativa diferente.

«La mayoría de la clase trabajadora se interesa por saber qué es la Revolución y los jóvenes norteamericanos tienen ánimo y ganas de ayudar, de aprender sobre todo, porque para ellos la Mayor de las Antillas es un referente a donde hay que mirar en medio de la crisis del capitalismo. Por eso es nuestra la responsabilidad de explicar la realidad de la Revolución Cubana y la defensa de su causa.

«En tal sentido, desde hace muchos años tenemos buenas relaciones con la Unión de Jóvenes Comunistas y trabajamos juntos en intercambios en torno a los festivales mundiales de la juventud y los estudiantes. Los jóvenes cubanos tienen el desafío de preservar por siempre el socialismo, enfrentando la presión del mundo capitalista, donde todo el sistema, desde la educación hasta las leyes, cortes y policía, tiene el propósito de aislar a cada persona y cada familia».

Jacob es un joven al que le gustan las artes plásticas, el cine, la fotografía y el jazz. De vez en cuando se le ve jugando tenis y en la natación, pues son dos deportes que le agradan mucho, como también la lectura. Quizá por ello aseguró que tiene muchas ganas de participar en la Feria Internacional del Libro cubana, ya que «es un placer ver ese evento cultural de la Revolución, en el que la gente tiene acceso a miles de títulos, encuentros con escritores e intelectuales, con el fin de contribuir a su formación».

¿Qué más admiras de nuestro pueblo?, pregunto al joven, y casi sin darme tiempo para terminar responde: «Su convicción, serenidad, profunda confianza en sus líderes y en el proceso revolucionario, su gente y la hospitalidad».