The Political Bureau of the Central Committee and all members of the Communist Front (Italy) extend their warmest greetings to General Raúl Castro Ruz on the occasion of his 95th birthday.
This anniversary comes at a time of heightened pressure on Cuba, marked by the intensification of the infamous economic, financial and, since last January, energy blockade imposed by the United States with the tacit complicity of the European Union, further tightening a criminal siege that has afflicted the Cuban people for more than sixty-five years.
Alongside our firm condemnation of imperialist arrogance and the aggressive designs of the United States, we reaffirm our total rejection of the unfounded and politically motivated accusations recently directed against Comrade Raúl Castro by courts entirely subservient to US imperialism. These provocations deliberately ignore the long history of systematic violations of Cuban sovereignty and serve only one purpose: to prepare the ground for a further escalation of aggression against socialist Cuba, which would constitute an attack on the peoples of the whole world. Moreover, these accusations come from those who, like US imperialism itself, truly deserve to be tried and condemned for the crimes against humanity they have committed, from the use of the atomic bomb against the civilian population of Japan to the countless acts of aggression carried out against sovereign peoples and countries in the decades following the end of the Second World War, of which the bloqueo is one of the cruellest examples.
In the face of the cynical and barbaric encirclement of Cuba, the example of courage and selfless dedication set by Comrade General Raúl Castro, revolutionary guerrilla fighter and leader of the Revolution, continues to stand as a point of reference for communists throughout the world. This is especially true in the present historical period, when workers and peoples in many parts of the world are fighting against poverty and exploitation, against the danger of a wider war, and against the inability of the capitalist system, in its deepest crisis, to meet the fundamental needs of humanity.
The long revolutionary path of Comrade Raúl Castro, from the struggle against the Batista dictatorship to the building and defence of socialism in Cuba, stands as an example of ideological steadfastness, internationalism and devotion to the cause of humanity’s emancipation. Under the leadership of Comrade Raúl Castro, the Communist Party of Cuba has successfully faced complex moments and historic challenges of enormous magnitude, preserving the achievements of the Revolution and ensuring the continuity of the Cuban socialist project.
For this reason, he continues to be regarded with respect and gratitude by communists throughout the world. In particular, the Italian workers’ movement has always looked upon the Cuban Revolution with deep admiration and a spirit of internationalist fraternity. On this occasion, we remember Comrade partisan Gino Doné who, after contributing to the liberation of Italy from Nazi-fascism, took part in the Granma expedition in 1956 and in the victorious struggle of the 26th of July Movement.
This anniversary strengthens the conviction among our Party membership that it is necessary to intensify the struggle against imperialist aggression and to raise internationalist solidarity with socialist Cuba to an even higher level.
Together with our greetings to Comrade General Raúl Castro, we extend our heartfelt internationalist solidarity to the Cuban people and to the Communist Party of Cuba.
Stop the machinery of US and European imperialism!
Stop the aggression against Cuba!
¡Venceremos!
