Biden, end the U.S. blockade of Cuba, world personalities request

HAVANA, Cuba, Aug 10 (ACN) A number of prominent personalities from the worlds of culture, science and education and political, social and religious activists sent President Joe Biden an open letter demanding the end of the U.S. blockade of Cuba and urging the provision of the help Cuba needs after a massive fire destroyed the Matanzas Supertanker Base.

Published Tuesday on the platform Let Cuba Live!, the letter bears the signature of almost thirty people, including the American intellectual Noam Chomsky, the British musician Rogers Waters, Indian and Dominican Republic social scientists Vijash Prashad and Manolo de los Santos, Pastors for Peace leader Gail Walker, former Democratic Congressman Brian Becker, Claudia de la Cruz of the People's Forum, the Nigerian musician Seun Kuti, and Labour MP Jeremy Corbin.

The letter contains a request that the White House lift all sanctions that prevent Cuba from receiving, directly or indirectly, medical, humanitarian, environmental or financial aid, which includes removing Cuba from the List of State Sponsors of Terrorism, and makes an urgent public call to reject the cruel policies implemented by the Donald Trump administration that affect the Cuban people, including some 263 measures that make the 60 plus year-old blockade even more radical.

Below is the full text of the letter and its signatories.

Dear President Joe Biden,

August 9, 2022

Now more than ever, it is time to write a new page in U.S.-Cuba relations. We urgently call on you publicly to reject the cruel policies implemented by the Trump White House that have already created so much suffering among the Cuban people.

On Friday, August 5, a major oil storage facility in Matanzas, Cuba, 65 miles east of Havana, was struck by lightning. Since then, a huge fire has been raging. This tremendous explosion and the difficult-to-control fire has left several people missing (including firefighters), many injured with severe burns and hundreds evacuated from their homes.

This fire, the largest in Cuba's history, comes as the country is experiencing an energy crisis due to rising global fuel costs and aging infrastructure. This oil tank fire will undoubtedly only exacerbate the power outages suffered by Cubans during this hot summer. The resources the government will be forced to devote to disaster response will also have a negative impact on the overall well-being of Cubans amid the sanctions imposed by the Trump Administration and continued under his.

Despite words of condolence and the offer of technical advice, the U.S. government has done very little to help the people of Cuba in their time of greatest need. Unfortunately, U.S. sanctions fuel the fires raging in Cuba! Despite assurances from the U.S. Embassy in Havana that U.S. entities and organizations are authorized by law to provide disaster relief and response, Trump's 243 sanctions continue to prevent urgently needed aid from reaching Cuba.

When your neighbor's house is on fire, the normal human reaction is to rush next door to help. To save lives. To extinguish the flames. Cuba is our neighbor! It is unconscionable, especially during a tragic accident, to block remittances and Cuba's use of global financial institutions, since access to dollars is necessary to import food and medicine.

Time is of the essence. The Administration should lift all sanctions that prevent Cuba, directly or indirectly, from receiving essential medical, humanitarian and environmental aid or receiving financial and other assistance from other nations or organizations in the U.S. This includes removing Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism List. We also urge you to immediately coordinate with relevant U.S. agencies to provide the direct and urgent assistance that Cuba requests.

Sincerely,
Brian Becker
Cindy Weisner
Claudia De la Cruz
Cornel West
David Adler
David Harvey
Gabriel Rockhill
Gail Walker
Gerald Horne
Gina Belafonte
Helen Yaffe
Jennifer Ponce De Leon
Jeremy Corbyn
Jia Hong
Jodie Evans
Judith Butler
Rev. Liz Theoharis
Manolo De Los Santos
Manu Karuka
Noam Chomsky
Phillip Agnew
Robin D.G. Kelly
Roger Waters
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Ruth Wilson Gilmore
Salvatore Engel-Di Mauro
Seun Kuti
Vijay Prashad
Yasemin Zahra