PM must condemn Labour MPs supporting murderous Cuban regime
When I saw that the Labour party had fringe events organised by the Cuban regime’s propaganda group, otherwise known as the Cuba Solidarity Campaign, I was sickened. A group that shills for a murderous dictatorship should be nowhere near the governing party of the UK.
Worse still, it wasn’t attended by the dregs and fringes of a beaten far left. Labour MPs were honoured guests, giving speeches extolling the so-called “virtues” of the communist regime. It is obscene, there are no virtues of the regime.
There are more than 1,400 political prisoners in Cuba. Since July 2021, 1,905 people have been detained and dozens have been forced to work at labour camps. There are numerous examples of torture and extrajudicial killings. There are multiple international resolutions that acknowledge how the Castro regime represses the Cuban population and has committed gross human rights violations with the incarceration of peaceful demonstrators, including underage Cubans and women.
It is shocking that Labour Party MPs are attending events in support of the totalitarian and murderous Cuban regime. Many of the thousands of political prisoners, will not be alive next year.
Not only does the Castro dictatorship terrorize its own people but it is one of the strongest supporters of Russia's barbaric invasion of Ukraine. At least 5000 Cubans are fighting on Putin's side and the Castro regime is actively obstructing international efforts to support Ukraine.
Reasonable standards would mean that Cuba is isolated and denounced in the same way as North Korea. This outrageous anti-Western student politics must be condemned by Keir Starmer. Voicing support for Castro's Cuba means you are supporting Putin's bloody assault on Ukraine and praising the repression of the Cuban people.
Starmer must take action against any MPs that attend these events. Kim Johnson MP, Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP, Richard Burgon MP and Paula Barker MP should be ashamed.
Yet, voicing support for Castro and his cronies is not the worst thing coming out of these shocking events. The Prison Officers Association’s general secretary, Steve Gillan, announced that union members’ money will be given to the propaganda organisation’s fundraiser, designed to bypass sanctions against the Cuban regime. Money given without
It is tragically ironic that prison officers are giving money to a dictatorship that routinely tortures and starves its political prisoners. Innocent civilians whose only crime is dissenting against the crimes of the authoritarian regime.
I cannot imagine that those prison officers would be aware or happy that their union dues are being used to finance the whitewashing of the Castro dictatorship’s human rights abuse. To cheerlead for a regime that ferments instability and supports other dictators around the world.
Keir Starmer should move to disassociate the Labour party from Gillan’s union and actions. It is simply unacceptable for the governing party to be linked in any way to an organisation that seeks to flout sanctions to offer financial support to Communist Cuba. He must get a grip on the fringes of his party.
Dr. Orlando Gutiérrez-Boronat is an award-winning author, co-founder and spokesperson for the Cuban Democratic Directorate, a nongovernmental organisation that supports the human rights movement in Cuba.
