Cuba condemns use of racism and racial discrimination as focus of manipulations

HAVANA, Cuba, Dec 6 (ACN) Cuba condemned today the use of racism and racial discrimination as axes of media campaigns, manipulations and lies against it, to cloud the progress made in this area since 1959.

This was made known at the 11th session of the Ad Hoc Committee for the elaboration of complementary rules to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, where the ambassador and permanent representative of Cuba to Geneva, Juan Antonio Quintanilla, pointed out that such campaigns are related to destabilization and meddling actions.

Likewise, they are coupled with the policy of economic, commercial and financial blockade maintained and tightened by the government of the United States, in spite of the international demand to put an end to it, the Cuban diplomat assured.

With the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, he stressed, a process of radical transformations took place that destroyed from the bottom up a racist and discriminatory system where the black and mulatto population suffered for centuries structured and institutionalized racial discrimination.

In the current Cuba, the advocacy of hatred, xenophobia, intolerance and supremacist ideas on the basis of national, religious or ethnic origin are outside the political and social life of the country, he said.

Cuba official also referred to the Constitution of the Republic, approved in referendum by the majority of the people in 2019, which ratifies the recognition and protection of the right to equality, as well as the prohibition of discrimination.

In contrast, he said that structural racism persists, particularly in developed capitalist countries, and hate speech and hate-motivated violent actions against minorities, migrants and refugees, and in some cases against entire peoples, are increasing.
We reiterate the call for the political will of all states to join efforts to combat racial discrimination and all forms of intolerance in all parts of the world, Cuban diplomat concluded.