Veterans For Peace condemns the recent report by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, accusing Cuba of interfering in the internal affairs of the U.S. and, conversely, accusing U.S. peace and solidarity activists of being agents of a foreign country, Cuba. Talk about turning things on their head!
It is the U.S. that has waged an economic war against Cuba for 64 years with a blockade that prevents it from normal trade relations with the U.S. and other countries, stunts its economic development, and denies it access to medicines and other essentials.
It is the U.S. CIA that organized a failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961, setting the stage for the 1962 Cuban missile crisis that almost led to a nuclear war. It is the U.S. that is currently enforcing a deadly oil embargo on Cuba, and it is the U.S. president and secretary of state who are openly threatening a U.S. military invasion of Cuba. What has Cuba ever done to the U.S.? Cuba is being punished for declaring its independence from U.S. imperialism and for attempting to develop a socialist economic model that is not based on exploitation and profiteering.
We reject the Trump administration’s sudden return to “anti-communism” as a means of undermining the credibility of its political opponents — whether from the Democratic Party or actual left-wing organizations. If this is an attempt to intimidate those who are organizing for a just and peaceful world, it will not work. We will not be intimidated. If Trump’s and Rubio’s sudden obsession with “communists” and “political terrorists” is telegraphing their intention for a clampdown on dissent in the U.S., we take this very seriously.
Will the racist ICE attacks on people of color be expanded to suppress all political dissent? Will the private prisons built with ICE’s billions become concentration camps for peace activists? Will the pretext of foreign interference be used to cancel or undermine the midterm elections? Will illegal and unpopular U.S. wars abroad be accompanied by fascist repression in the United States?
As veterans and active duty military, we swore an oath to “defend the U.S. Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic.” We take this oath very seriously — more so than ever as the domestic enemies of our democracy ominously rear their ugly heads. We will resist.
Many Veterans For Peace members have visited Cuba, and we have made friends in Cuba. We are very concerned that the U.S. blockade — made even more devastating by Trump’s oil blockade — is causing great suffering in Cuba, including many needless deaths. We reiterate our longtime demand for an end to the U.S. blockade of Cuba.
Veterans For Peace will not be intimidated. We stand in solidarity with Cuba and with all those who struggle for human rights and democracy in the U.S. We will support active-duty military members who refuse to participate in an illegal invasion of Cuba. We also encourage service members to refuse illegal orders to support racist ICE raids or to suppress our First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and assembly in the U.S. Peace at Home, Peace Abroad!