Tag: cuba

The Last Post

10th October 2026

It was 16 years ago this month that the first blogspot appeared on this site, you can go back in time to read it here if you wish https://avantipopulo.co.uk/archive-2010/

This however, will be the last post on this site, although Avanti Populo will still be available on Facebook so check out the ongoing story there.

In many respects the world has changed considerably in the past 16 years.  Britain is no longer part of the European Union; Reform UK has emerged as a serious challenge to the Tories on the right wing of British politics; the Covid pandemic swept the world; the climate emergency has grown sharper and more urgent. Prime Ministers and Presidents have come and gone, and in the case of Trump, returned.

In other respects however, much remains the same.  Neoliberal economic orthodoxy still dominates Western economies. The US remains determined to assert its hegemony across the Western Hemisphere and the Middle East, while not losing sight of the growing strength of China. NATO expansion and encirclement of Russia has precipitated the war in Ukraine. The long held antipathy of both Israel and the US towards Iran has culminated in the aggression against the dictatorship in the Islamic Republic.  Israeli oppression and denial of the basic rights of the Palestinian people, including genocide in Gaza, continues. The US illegal blockade of Cuba is condemned annually at the United Nations but remains, while the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro adds a new dimension to the way US foreign policy is conducted.

Nevertheless, resistance continues, in working class communities on a whole range of issues regarding health, housing and jobs. At a national level resistance to the rise of the right wing and the drive to war grows, as the Stop the War Coalition, the Together Alliance and CND amongst others show.  International solidarity remains strong with Cuba Solidarity Campaign, CODIR, Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Liberation amongst  a host of organisations committed to the struggle for human rights across the world.

Climate activism, women’s rights campaigns, opposition to racism are all features of the ongoing battle to build a world in which the hopes, dreams and aspirations of the many defeat the greed, sense of entitlement and warmongering of the few.

The unifying factor in the multitude of fronts on which the struggle is conducted is the fight for socialism, the ultimate replacement of capitalism as a system with one that meets the needs of the people, rather then the profits of the privileged.

The contribution of blogs like this is modest to say the least. United mass action by the working class behind a programme committed to the advance towards socialism will ultimately determine the future. Hopefully the contributions on these pages have been able to shine some light in the darkness.  From here onwards, make sure to check out the facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/avanti.populo

Cuba update

6th June 2026

Cuba Update: National Solidarity Meetings, Emergency Rally and Cuba After Castro screening

Cuba Solidarity Campaign
Cuba Update 06 June 2026
1. Stand with Cuba: National Solidarity Gathering 2026
2. UK Premiere & Emergency Solidarity Rally
3. End the siege on Cuba Tour
4. MPs say ‘Stop Trump’s War on Cuba’
5. RMT Garden Party

1. Stand with Cuba: National Solidarity Gathering 2026
Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London, WC1H 9BD
Saturday 13 June, 10am-1pm Including the Cuba Solidarity Campaign Annual General Meeting
At a critical moment for Cuba, join campaigners, trade unionists and supporters from across Britain for a national gathering of the Cuba solidarity movement.
Hear from special guests including Cuban Ambassador Ismara Vargas Walter for an insight into the challenges facing Cuba.We will review the achievements of the last year and discuss how we build an even stronger movement and respond to the current humanitarian crisis and US threats.

Free and open to all. No need to register, just turn up.Whether you are a long-standing supporter or are attending a CSC event for the first time, this is an opportunity to meet fellow campaigners, hear the latest developments from Cuba, and help shape the future of solidarity with the Cuban people.More details here

Followed at 2.30pm by

2. Hands Off Cuba – UK Premiere & Emergency Solidarity RallyFeaturing the first UK screening of Cuba After Castro: The Island in the CrosshairsHands Off Cuba – UK Premierewith guest speakers from Cuba including:
Elizabeth Ribalta Rubiera, Cuban Friendship Institute (ICAP)
Dr Mitchell Valdés-Sosa, Director, Cuba’s Neuroscience Centre
As the United States escalates its economic warfare against Cuba and openly threatens further aggression, join us for an urgent afternoon of film, discussion and solidarity.Cuba After Castro: The Island in the Crosshairs explores contemporary Cuba through the leadership of President Miguel Díaz-Canel, combining rare historical footage with a powerful examination of the Cuban Revolution, the impact of more than 60 years of US blockade, and the pressures facing Cuban society today.Following the screening, hear in person from Cuban guests about the reality on the island, the growing international campaign to defend Cuba’s sovereignty, and what solidarity movements in Britain can do in response.At a moment of dangerous escalation, this is an essential meeting for anyone who wants to understand the truth about Cuba beyond the headlines.If you are not attending the morning session please register for the afternoon screening and rally to help us plan for numbers.

3. End the Siege on Cuba Tour
Hear from Elizabeth Ribalta Rubiera from ICAP (the Cuban Friendship Institute) in a vital national speaking tour.END THE SIEGE ON CUBAThese meetings are an important opportunity to hear directly from Cuba about the reality of the crisis – beyond the propaganda and misinformation used to justify US aggression.Saturday 13 June, London
Monday 15 June, Derby
Tuesday 16 June, Nottingham
Wednesday 17 June, Manchester
Thursday 18 June, Sheffield
Friday 19 June, Oxford
Full listings of times and venues here

4. MPs say ‘Stop Trump’s War on Cuba’MPs, trade unionists and campaigners outside Parliament on Wednesday 3 JuneBritish MPs, peers and trade union leaders gathered outside Parliament on 3 June to oppose the Trump administration’s escalating aggression against Cuba and reject any threat of military intervention against the island.The photo call, organised by the Cuba Solidarity Campaign, came amid growing concern over the intensification of US economic warfare against Cuba and increasingly hostile rhetoric from Washington.Read the full report

5. 19th RMT Garden Party for Cuba
Wednesday 10 June, 6.30 – 10.30pm
Maritime House, Clapham Old Town, London, SW4 0JW19th RMT Garden Party for CubaFeaturing the legendary salsa beats of Omar Puente and Raíces Cubanas
With guest speakers
• Eddie Dempsey, RMT General Secretary
• Ismara Mercedes Vargas Walter, Cuban ambassador to UK
• Plus special guests£20 includes entry, food, and two free drinksRaising funds to help end the US blockade of Cuba and for the Cuba Vive Medical Aid Appeal.
Book your tickets before they sell out!  Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter 
Make a Donation    

Cuba Solidarity Campaign c/o Unite, 33-37 Moreland Street, London EC1V 8BB, UK
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7490 5715 | Fax: +44 (0)20 7490 3556  Email  www.cuba-solidarity.org.uk

More medical aid en route to Cuba

24th July 2025

With your help, the Cuba Vive appeal hopes to raise over £200,000 by the end of the year

Eighteen months after its launch, the Cuba Vive Medical Appeal for Cuba has raised more than £190,000 and will hopefully surpass £200,000 by the end of the year. Thanks to the generosity of CSC members, affiliates and friends, hundreds of thousands of items of essential medical supplies, from syringes to surgical gloves, are being used by Cuban health workers to improve and save the lives of patients.

Second container on its way with more scheduled for 2025
Another 40ft container of life-saving medical aid departed from the Yorkshire port of Immingham in July and is due to arrive in Cuba in late August.

The container is packed full of much-needed resources such as catheters, tracheostomy equipment, syringes, needles, surgical scrub, colostomy bags, wheelchairs, Zimmer frames, crutches, and specialist operating theatre supplies including eight operating beds.

This is the second container of aid (of three consignments sent so far) that will be delivered working in partnership with UK charity Jacob’s Well Appeal, who organise the logistics, including sorting, storage, packing and shipping. A further container will leave later this summer, and more by the end of the year.

First aid kits for every residential education centre
The container includes over 200 first aid packs for every educational residential establishment in Cuba. They form part of medical aid funded by the National Education Union (NEU) for each of the country’s 147 residential schools for children in rural areas and 54 children’s homes.

The NEU is responding to a special request from the Cuban education union SNTECD since the shortages in the Cuban health service also impact the education sector. These are especially acute in educational care and residential settings, where everything from basic first aid kits to PPE and paediatric medical supplies are scarce.

Cuba Vive aid supports Cuban cancer hospital

In May, CSC director Rob Miller visited Havana’s Institute of Oncology and Radiobiology, one of the hospitals that has benefited from the Cuba Vive appeal, and spoke to staff and patients about how the medical aid was helping their work and treatment.

Find out more at https://www.cubavive.org.uk/