Don't Cry For Me Little Havana

I like it when I can say; I told ya so.

Experts: Belief that Castro’s Illness Will Trigger Change in Cuba,
Premature

When news reports hit early this week that Fidel Castro had transferred the reins of power to his brother while he underwent serious gastrointestinal surgery, pictures of dancing expatriate Cubans and Cuban Americans in the streets of Miami flashed on television screens.

But suggestions of the Cuban leader’s imminent demise, as well as that of his form of government, may be greatly exaggerated.

Fidel Castro: The Last Titan

While the Cuban community in Miami is ecstatic, believing that Fidel’s illness and possible absence brings their day closer, the evidence points to the contrary. Going by all news reports there is a stark contrast between the scenes of exultation in Miami and the widespread mood, somber, hopeful, stoic, in Cuba. There is also a glaring gap between the reactions in Miami and those in the rest of Latin America. Whatever the outcome of Fidel’s health crisis, the repugnant scenes in Miami have widened the moral gulf between native and rightwing émigré Cubans, and between the latter and the rest of Latin America. Whatever the mirages of transition pursued by the White House, Fidel’s illness makes the reclaiming of Havana by Miami less not more likely.

In his Cuba: A New History, a work that is rather critical of Fidel Castro, Richard Gott, veteran commentator on Latin America, author of a standard work on the region’s guerrilla movements and one of those who identified Che Guevara’s body in Bolivia, concludes with an unconventional observation, namely that the post Castro transition had already taken place:

‘Personally I expect little change in the years ahead, or even when Castro dies. Cuba has already been governed for several years by a post-Castro government. Raul Castro runs the armed forces today as he has done since 1959. Ricardo Alarcon at the national assembly is the country’s political guru, aware of shifts in public opinion as well as a long serving and expert negotiator with the United States. Carlos lage is the prime minister and controller of the country’s economy. Felipe Perez Roque is a sure hand at foreign affairs, sustaining Cuba’s extraordinary worldwide support. This is a more than competent team that could run the affairs of any country at any time, as one admiring western ambassador explained to me.

Cubans calm over Castro illness

By Stephen Gibbs BBC News, Cuba

On the streets of Havana there has been a remarkable sense of calm, almost nonchalance, in the face of the dramatic news that President Castro has undergone complicated surgery to stem intestinal bleeding.

President Castro's exhortations to Cuban remain highly visible

People have been going to work as normal. Shops remain open. Cinemas are full.

In the shadow of one of the posters of the smiling president that last year were put up around the capital, pasted with the words "Vamos Bien" ("we are doing well"), Dinorah Padron, a retired nurse in her 60s, expresses an opinion that reflects the thoughts of many Cubans of her generation.

"We think he will be better very soon", she says. "He's healthy".

After 47 years in power many assume that President Castro will live, if not for ever, then at least for the foreseeable future.

"He has to recover", said David Santos, 54, who was wearing a revolutionary T-shirt and was on his way to see his grandchildren. "He is our leader, the maximum, the best."

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'Triumph for Democracy': Socialist Candidate Takes Commanding Lead in Honduran Election

Xiomara Castro, wife of Manuel Zelaya, a leftist former president ousted in a U.S.-backed coup in 2009, is on track to defeat the candidate of the right-wing incumbent party.

Honduran presidential candidate for the Libre party, Xiomara Castro, celebrates at the party's headquarters after general elections in Tegucigalpa, on November 28, 2021. (Photo: Luis Acosta/AFP via Getty Images)

KENNY STANCIL

COMMONDREAMS

November 29, 2021


Leftist presidential candidate Xiomara Castro took a decisive lead in Honduras' election on Sunday, setting her up to defeat the right-wing incumbent party's candidate—though progressive observers stressed the need to remain vigilant as ballots continue to be counted and reactionary forces ramp up misinformation following an apparently unsuccessful attempt to suppress voting.

"Xiomara Castro's likely victory is a testament to the will of the Honduran people to have their voices heard and their votes counted."

A victory by Castro would represent a repudiation of U.S. intervention in Central America. Honduras' potential next president is the wife of Manuel Zelaya, the country's former progressive president who was deposed in a Washington-backed coup in 2009—after which narco-violence surged under the watch of an authoritarian neoliberal regime installed by the Obama administration and supported by subsequent administrations.

If she wins, Castro would be the first Honduran president to be democratically elected on a socialist platform, as well as the first woman to lead the country. With just over half of ballots processed, the Libre Party's Castro had garnered 53.6% of the vote, compared with 34% for Nasry Asfura, the candidate from the right-wing National Party, which has ruled the country for the past dozen years.

Castro "hopes to restore diplomatic relations with China, legalize abortion and same-sex marriage, and defend the interests of the poor and working class," according to Telesur.

Calling the 62-year-old democratic socialist's solid performance a "triumph for democracy over corruption and election irregularities," Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, said in a statement that "Xiomara Castro's likely victory is a testament to the will of the Honduran people to have their voices heard and their votes counted."

"The international community should be on guard and ready to defend Honduras' democratic institutions, and the will of its people, against any extra-legal efforts to destabilize or overthrow the new government."

"Democracy remains very fragile in Honduras," Weisbrot warned. "This is a country that saw the military kidnap the president at gunpoint and fly him out of the country just 12 years ago, and there was very strong evidence that the elections of four years ago were stolen" by the ruling National Party.

Indeed, Castro's current lead materialized despite the best efforts of the incumbent right-wing government to suppress participation.

Progressive International (PI), whose new observatory to protect democracy sent delegates to Honduras to monitor the electoral process, drew attention to reports that the ruling National Party was attempting to buy votes.

On Sunday morning, Salvador Nasralla—a former presidential candidate who led Honduras' 2017 election by 5 percentage points with 57% of votes counted before a 30-hour delay and other "technical failures" ultimately resulted in a National Party victory—said that the website of the National Electoral Council (CNE) had been "intentionally taken down" and that right-wing officials were giving voters inaccurate information about polling places.

Hours later, CNE announced that its server had been attacked, which PI said "has prevented voters from locating their polling station," causing long lines to form.

With polls still open and before a single ballot had been counted, the incumbent right-wing government said on Sunday afternoon that Asfura had won—in violation, Telesur reported, of "national electoral law prohibiting the premature claiming of victory before the competent authorities release their preliminary results... which the CNE did just after 8:00 pm local time."


Journalist Denis Rogatyuk warned that "the party that turned Honduras into a narco-state will be unlikely to relinquish power peacefully."


The ruling National Party's alleged vote-buying and premature victory claims, along with the yet-to-be-resolved attacks on the CNE's website, weren't enough to deter hundreds of thousands of Honduran voters from casting ballots for the opposition Libre Party. Turnout was over 60%.

"Hondurans flocked to the polls in near-record numbers to decide the successor of the deeply unpopular current president, Juan Orlando Hernández," the New York Times reported. "Hernández's presence was palpable at the polls after his government spent the past eight years dismantling the country's democratic institutions and allowing corruption and organized crime to permeate the highest levels of power."

As the election progressed, Castro also declared victory. Once the preliminary tally showed Asfura falling behind by a significant margin, she told "jubilant supporters at her campaign headquarters on Sunday night that she would begin forming a government of national reconciliation starting on Monday," the Times reported.

"We have turned back authoritarianism," Castro told the crowd in the capital city of Tegucigalpa. "Out with corruption, out with drug trafficking, out with organized crime."

Although Castro has taken a commanding lead, it could take days for results to be finalized. In the meantime, electoral observers have emphasized the need to remain vigilant in the coming hours.

Earlier this morning, for instance, a Honduran newspaper shared a misleading graph that suggests Asfura is winning even as he trails Castro by roughly 20 percentage points. Jumping at the chance to use a pun, PI general coordinator David Adler described the chart as an example of "graphic violence."



While Castro's advantage is much larger than the opposition's early lead in 2017, making it more difficult for right-wing forces to subvert the election, The Guardian noted that a close outcome four years ago "led to a contested result and deadly protests after widespread allegations of irregularities."

According to Telesur, "Fears of the military and business elite repeating a similar scenario to the one from 2017 in which electoral fraud and manipulation stole the presidency from liberal candidate Salvador Nasralla (who has backed Castro) and gave it to the right-wing narco-dictator Juan Orlando Hernández have, until now, not materialized, with Honduras proving ready to fight for the integrity of their democratic process in the streets and with their life, if necessary, as recent history has shown."

As Weisbrot noted, "The U.S. government supported the 2009 military coup in various ways, and so it will be good if members of Congress who favor democracy will make sure that the executive branch here respects democracy in Honduras more than they have in the past."

"On the positive side," said Weisbrot, "members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus have taken steps to hold the OAS accountable for its role in the 2019 military coup in Bolivia, so there are pro-democracy forces in Congress."

"The international community," he added, "should be on guard and ready to defend Honduras' democratic institutions, and the will of its people, against any extra-legal efforts to destabilize or overthrow the new government."

This story has been updated with comments from Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research.
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Taiwan secessionists, US meddlers to suffer ‘heavy blow’ amid ‘massive’ turnout in Honduras election

By Deng Xiaoci and Wan Hengyi

Published: Nov 29, 2021


Presidential candidate Xiomara Castro (Red) speaks after hearing the partial results of the elections, in Tegucigaloa, Honduras, 28 November 2021. Photo: thepaper.cn

Initial results from the Honduras presidential election showed that Xiomara Castro, the presidential candidate of the opposition is leading by 20 percentage points over the conservative ruling party contender Nasry Asfura.

Chinese observers said that they welcome the approaching victory of Castro, who is on track to becoming the first female president of the Central American country, as she once promised that if she wins, she would immediately open diplomatic and commercial relations with China and de-emphasize "ties" with the Taiwan authorities.

They said that such a result with a "massive turnout" showed that Hondurans are growing sick of the US-backed administration and Hondurans have realized that compared to the "dollar diplomacy" of the island of Taiwan, upholding the overriding global trend of the one-China principle could bring them more tangible benefits, even though its diplomatic policy may not be the deciding factor in the Latin American country's election.

Commenting on the lead of Castro, Wang Wenbin, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said on Monday that China is willing to develop friendly and cooperative ties with any country on the premise of upholding the one-China principle.

Honduras is one of the remaining 15 countries in the world that still have so-called "diplomatic ties" with Taiwan island, and if Castro's victory is officially confirmed and she keeps her promise, Honduras' new administration's change in attitude over the matter could bring an exemplary effect to the 14 other countries, Jiang Shixue, a professor and Director of Center for Latin American Studies at Shanghai University, told the Global Times on Monday.

If Honduras severs "ties with Taiwan," it will deal a heavy blow to the secessionists as well as sound the alarm for countries like Lithuania, which recently took on a wrong path over the Taiwan question by supporting Taiwan secessionists, he noted.

Hondurans and politicians could not overlook how its neighboring country El Salvador, which cut "diplomatic ties" with Taiwan island in 2018 and established formal ties with China, has prospered ever since, observers said. It is clear that many countries in this region have chosen to establish diplomatic relations with China for the development of their own societies. In contrast to the shady political donations provided to these countries by the island of Taiwan, as the island's netizens cynically pointed out, the mainland's aid and investment bring tangible benefits to the society.

Official data showed that in 2020, trade between China and El Salvador reached $1.11 billion, and exports from El Salvador to China were worth $172 million, a 51.6 percent year-on-year increase. China has also offered to help build several major infrastructure projects in El Salvador, including a stadium and water treatment plant, inviting the country to join the Belt and Road Initiative.

Since March, China has also provided COVID-19 vaccines to aid El Salvador's battle against the pandemic. Thanks to China's timely aid, more than 55.6 percent of El Salvador's population has been inoculated, leading the Latin American region, the Xinhua News Agency reported on October 27.

In contrast, Honduras had attempted to get access to China-made coronavirus vaccines, when the Central American nation was experiencing a shortage several months ago. However, the nation's chief cabinet coordinator, Carlos Alberto Madero, told the Financial Times that being Taiwan's "ally" had prevented it from acquiring vaccines from China. He warned that Tegucigalpa may switch diplomatic recognition to Beijing, as access to vaccines was "much more urgent than anything else."

As of press time, the vaccinated rate in El Salvador was 62.3 percent and that for Honduras was less than 40 percent.

However despite the prospect of fostering formal ties with China if Castro is elected, the US will not give up interfering in the process, analysts said.

A visiting US delegation led by Brian Nichols, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs to Honduras made clear to Honduran presidential candidates last week that the US wants Honduras to maintain its long-standing "diplomatic" relations with the island of Taiwan.

The US also warned Central American nations of "the risks associated with China's approach to the region," Reuters reported.

Slamming such apparent US coercion, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on November 25 that it is not China's approach that the Latin American people should be wary of, but the US' long-standing hegemonic approach of regarding Central American countries as the US "backyard."

The US has felt a sense of losing control in its "backyard" as it fears that Honduras would follow El Salvador, Panama and the Dominican Republic and establish ties with China. It will exert pressure from all dimensions to hinder the process, which might include sanctions or a threat to pause aid, observers noted.

Opposition leads after ‘massive’ turnout in Honduras election

Victory for Xiomara Castro would make her Honduras’s first female president and first from the left since 2009.

Castro, LIBRE's presidential candidate, and vice-presidential candidate Nasrala in upbeat mood after the closing of the general election [Jose Cabezas/Reuters]
Published On 29 Nov 2021

Initial results from the presidential election in Honduras show opposition candidate Xiomara Castro with a clear lead over conservative ruling party contender Nasry Asfura after both sides claimed victory after polls closed on Sunday.

Castro, whose running mate is Salvador Nasrala, declared herself the winner despite orders from the National Electoral Council to political parties to await official results.

“We win! We win!” Castro, Honduras’ former first lady who is making her third presidential run, told cheering Liberty and Refoundation Party (LIBRE) supporters when only a fraction of the ballots had been tallied.

The National Party also quickly declared victory for its candidate, Tegucigalpa Mayor Nasry Asfura, but the early returns were not promising.

With 45 percent of the polling station tallies in, Castro had 53 percent of the votes and Asfura 33 percent, according to the National Electoral Council preliminary count. The council said turnout was more than 68 percent.

If the opposition standard-bearer wins, she would become the first female president in Honduras and return the left to power for the first time since her husband, former President Manuel Zelaya, was overthrown in a 2009 coup.

The electoral council earlier said more than 2.7 million voters had already cast ballots, a figure described in a statement as a “massive turnout” with more votes yet to be counted.

The initial turnout is already higher than the 2017 total, said council president Kelvin Aguirre. But nearly 8 percent of 5,755 polling places were having transmission problems filing vote tallies with electoral authorities, which was expected to delay results.

A strong turnout has raised expectations of change after a dozen years of National Party rule.

Long queues at many polling stations raised expectations of a change in government [Orlando Sierra/AFP]

Left-wing Castro has sought to unify opposition to outgoing President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who has denied accusations of having ties to powerful gangs, despite an open investigation in the United States linking him to alleged drug trafficking.

After allying with the 2017 runner-up, a popular TV host, most polls have reinforced her frontrunner status.

“We can’t stay home. This is our moment. This is the moment to kick out the dictatorship,” said Castro, mobbed by reporters just after voting in the town of Catacamas

Long queues could be seen at many polling places across the country, where some 5.2 million Hondurans are eligible to vote.

The election is the latest political flashpoint in Central America, a leading source of US-bound refugees and migrants fleeing chronic unemployment and gang violence. Honduras is among the world’s most violent countries, although homicide rates have dipped recently.

Central America is also a key transit point for drug trafficking, and an area where concerns have grown over increasingly authoritarian governments.

The vote also has prompted diplomatic jostling between Beijing and Washington after Castro said she would open diplomatic relations with China, de-emphasising ties with Taiwan, the self-ruled island that China claims as its own.
‘This is Honduras’

Asfura, a wealthy businessman and two-term mayor of the capital, is Castro’s main rival among 13 presidential hopefuls. He has sought to portray his rival as a radical while trying to distance himself from the unpopular incumbent.


After casting his ballot, a measured Asfura said he would respect voters’ verdict.

“Whatever the Honduran people want in the end, I will respect that,” he said.

Some voters consulted by the Reuters news agency expressed dissatisfaction with their choices, but many others had clear favourites.

“I’m against all the corruption, poverty and drug trafficking,” said Jose Gonzalez, 27, a mechanic who said he would vote for Castro.

Hernandez’s disputed 2017 re-election, and its ugly aftermath, looms large. Widespread reports of irregularities provoked protests that killed more than two dozen people, but he rode out the fraud claims and calls for a re-vote.

Alexa Sanchez, a 22-year-old medical student, lounged on a bench just after voting while listening to music on her headphones and said she reluctantly voted for Castro.

“Honestly, it’s not like there were such good options,” she said, adding she was highly sceptical that the vote would be clean.

“I don’t think so,” she said. “This is Honduras.”

If Castro wins, she will become Honduras’s first female president and return the left to power [Jose Cabezas/Reuters

]

Asfura has tried to distance himself from the unpopular incumbent [Fredy Rodriguez/Reuters]

Numerous national and international election observers monitored Sunday’s voting, including the European Union’s 68-member mission.

Zeljana Zovko, the chief EU observer, told reporters around midday that her team mostly saw calm voting with high turnout, although most polling stations they visited opened late.

“The campaign has been very hard,” said Julieta Castellanos, a sociologist and former dean of Honduras’s National Autonomous University, noting that Castro has “generated big expectations”.

Castellanos said post-election violence was possible if the race proved especially close, if a large number of complaints were lodged, or if candidates declared themselves victorious prematurely.

Alongside the presidency, voters are also deciding the composition of the country’s 128-member Congress, plus officials for some 300 local governments.

In Tegucigalpa’s working-class Kennedy neighbourhood, 56-year-old accountant Jose, who declined to give his surname, said he would stick with the ruling party.

“I have hope Tito Asfura can change everything,” he said, using the mayor’s nickname.

“Look, here the corruption is in all the governments.”

SOURCE: REUTERS

Incoming Honduran president wants UN help to battle corruption


Xiomara Castro, seen on November 28, 2021 reacting in Tegucigalpa to news she was headed toward becoming Honduras's first female president, has promised to fight widespread corruption and poverty (AFP/Luis ACOSTA)

Moises AVILA, Noe LEIVA
Sat, December 4, 2021, 10:33 AM·4 min read

Xiomara Castro, who will make history as Honduras' first female president when she takes office on January 27, plans to ask the UN for help in fighting the corruption plaguing the Central American nation, and will urge Congress to repeal so-called "impunity" laws.

The 62-year-old Castro, who heads the leftist LIBRE party, told AFP in an interview she will work to rescind laws that "have covered up all the corruption" of recent years -- a clear allusion to the government of her predecessor, Juan Orlando Hernandez.

"Honduras needs the heart of a woman," she said, "of a woman who feels the people's needs."

Castro, the wife of ousted president Manuel Zelaya (2006-2009), answered AFP's questions via a WhatsApp audio link.

Here is what she had to say on a variety of other topics:

- Migration and poverty -

Some 60 percent of the country's 10 million inhabitants live in poverty, and thousands, since 2018, have headed north in hopes of finding work in the United States.

"Our commitment is to guarantee that in Honduras, in their country, people have the conditions for a dignified life: free, universal education for all children and young people, and free universal healthcare," she said, without elaborating.

- The fight against corruption -

In 2016, after President Hernandez acknowledged his election campaign was partly funded with public moneys, the Organization of American States (OAS) sent an anti-corruption mission to Honduras, but it left in 2020 after a disagreement over renewing its mandate.

Castro wants to reactivate a high-level mission, this time headed by the United Nations, and says she has approached UN officials about doing so.

And she said her government would send "an initiative to Congress to repeal the laws that have sustained the dictatorship" -- by which she means the Hernandez government. The state anti-corruption council refers to those regulations as the "laws of impunity."

Castro specifically mentioned the so-called "law of secrets," which classifies information on state purchases and "through which they have covered up all the corruption." She also opposes a penal code reform that reduced penalties for money laundering.

- Relations with the US -

Washington, which has had a military base in Honduras since the 1980s, had called for peaceful and transparent elections, and closely followed the process.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has indicated willingness to work with Castro, while she has described the bilateral relationship as "cordial."

"One of the main issues is migration," said Castro. "The defense of human rights, the safety of migrants, and above all of children and their families, is fundamental."

- Fighting drug trafficking -

Drug trafficking has reached into the highest levels of the country -- the current president's brother, "Tony" Hernandez, is serving a life sentence in the United States for drug trafficking.

"We will fight narco-trafficking head-on," Castro said. "We are going to guarantee the security of our borders, both in the air and at sea, so that neither narco-trafficking nor arms trafficking can take place in our country."

- Disputed economic zones -

In 2013, the rightist National Party government promoted the creation of Special Economic Development Zones (ZEDE), largely autonomous territories within Honduras that are meant to promote investment.

Some groups in civil society, however, consider these zones unconstitutional -- as "states within the state" where people evading extradition can take refuge. The UN has asked Honduras to "review" the practice.

"Immediately upon assuming the presidency, we are going to send the National Congress an initiative for the repeal of the ZEDE law," Castro said.

- Her husband, the 'best advisor' -

After his election atop the rightist Liberal Party, Castro's husband Manuel Zelaya and his government took a clear leftward turn, aligning with Hugo Chavez in Venezuela and Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua before being ousted by a civil-military alliance in 2009. Initially exiled, Zelaya returned to the country in 2011.

During Castro's campaign she promised she would lead a government of "democratic socialism" and would draw on the experience of her husband -- her "best advisor" -- in the fight against poverty.

As the first woman to govern Honduras, Castro said, "I am committed to ensuring that women's rights are respected."

- 'Readjusting' the debt -

With total debt of nearly $17 billion -- including $11 billion in foreign debt -- "one of the first actions we will take will be to readjust that debt," the new president said.

"We are not going to impose new taxes," she said, though analysts say debt and the fiscal deficit could pose major challenges to the new government.

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Raul Castro steps down as head of Cuba's Communist Party



Fidel Castro (L) and his brother, Raul Castro, leader of the Cuban Armed Forces, are pictured in Havana in an undated file photo. UPI File Photo | License Photo


April 16 (UPI) -- Raul Castro, brother of the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro, announced Friday he's stepping down as head of Cuba's Communist Party.

Speaking on the first day of a party conference, Raul Castro said his resignation will allow a younger group of politicians "full of passion and anti-imperialist spirit" to take control.

"I believe fervently in the strength and exemplary nature and comprehension of my compatriots, and as long as I live, I will be ready with my foot in the stirrups to defend the fatherland, the revolution and socialism," he said at a closed-door meeting, according to NBC News.

Raul Castro has served as first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba since April 2011, when he took over for his brother, who held the position for more than 45 years. Raul Castro also served as president of the country from 2008 to 2018, and acting president during the last two years of Fidel Castro's tenure.

Fidel Castrol died in 2016 after decades of power in the Caribbean island nation.

Current President Miguel Díaz-Canel is expected to take over leadership of the Communist Party with Raul Castro's departure.

NPR reported that Raul Castro's long-time deputy, José Ramón Machado, also was expected to step down in his role of the Politburo, leaving the body without any revolutionary veterans for the first time in decades.

Former President Barack Obama (R) shakes hands with former Cuban President Raul Castro during meeting at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on September 29, 2015. File Pool Photo by Anthony Behar/UPI | License Photo

Honduras' next president blasts party for 'betrayal' in Congress


FILE PHOTO: Honduras' president-elect Xiomara Castro receives her presidential credentials during a ceremony, in Tegucigalpa

Fri, January 21, 2022,
By Gustavo Palencia

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) -Honduran president-elect Xiomara Castro on Friday accused some of her party's lawmakers of "betrayal" after they broke a pact with a key ally, potentially putting in jeopardy Castro's ability to pass a sweeping agenda through Congress.

Lawmakers from Castro's leftist Liberty and Refoundation Party (Libre) and two other parties appointed a member of their caucus as president of Congress, breaking an agreement to appoint a lawmaker from the Partido Salvador de Honduras (PSH), an ally that helped Castro claim victory.

The lawmakers said the appointment was aimed at protecting Castro's incoming government. But she threatened to block the new head of Congress from being sworn in on Jan. 27, the day she takes office.

"The betrayal was done!" Castro wrote on Twitter. "I don't need traitors to protect me."

She said her party had expelled the 18 lawmakers who had supported the decision to go against naming a PSH member to the top post of Congress.

Castro also called for Libre members from around the country to converge in the capital Tegucigalpa for a vigil from Saturday night through early Sunday in what she called an act to "repudiate the attempted kidnapping of the legislative power."

Under Honduran law, lawmakers need a majority plus one to appoint the directors of the chamber or have the power to reform or repeal laws. Libre and its allies won 60 of the 128 seats in the single-house Congress.

Castro promised ally PSH leadership of Congress after its candidate, Salvador Nasralla, stepped down from the race and pledged support to Castro, the wife of former President Manuel Zelaya, who was ousted in a coup in 2009.

Nasralla described Friday's action as "another coup like in 2009" against Hondurans who voted for Castro with the expectation that PSH would lead Congress.

Going against the deal with PSH will likely impact Castro's ability to prevail in Congress, analysts said.

"Undoubtedly, although the dissident deputies say they support her campaign promises, they weaken their ability to fulfill those that have to go through Congress," said Eugenio Sosa, a professor at Honduras' National Autonomous University.

(Reporting by Gustavo Palencia, Writing by Daina Beth Solomon; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

Guess Who Is 80

Well that social parasite the Queen, for one. She is celebrating her birthday, AGAIN this week for one. Those British aristocrats just can't get enough of their Queen. Threw her another birthday party.Which we all pay for.

Britain`s last Queen?

And one implication of all this that must trouble Her Majesty as she receives the genuinely affectionate birthday greetings of her subjects is that the future of the Monarchy she inherited is very far from secure.

Another new poll for Britain`s ITV News this week suggested that while 52 percent of Brits think the Queen provides 'good value for money,' only 31 percent think the same of her son and heir Prince Charles. Yet another poll this month in The Times found that only 37 percent of Brits think that Charles should succeed his mother.

Though as Canadians we may have saved some money on this her second birthday party.Where's Michaelle?

But wait apparently she is secretly a Marxist! Queen Elizabeth supports Marxism

But for those who have no use for royalty, well we have someone we can celebrate who is turning 80. None other than that arch nemesis of Amerika; Comrade Fidel Castro. And he is a Marxist just like the Queen.

Castro's new soldiers

One of the revolution’s endearing features has been its ability to reinvent itself. Castro was originally a guerrilla revolutionary with a utopian programme to create a new society; later, in the 1970s, he became a Soviet placeman with a communist blueprint; then in the 1990s (after the collapse of the Soviet Union) he was a simple hand-to-mouth survivor, regardless of the ideological cost. In the 21st century he describes himself as a socialist, but is also a fully paid-up green campaigner. Efforts to curb corruption, save energy and promote organic farming are all part of a new struggle to put revolutionary fire into the bellies of a younger generation that doesn’t remember the palmy days of the Soviet-subsidised era, let alone the revolutionary excitements of half a century ago.

Castro, in his 80th year, is the same age as the Queen of England. He has been Cuba’s ruler for almost as long and is still apparently as active as ever. Last November, he spoke for five hours at the university and then talked to the students until dawn. Yet he doesn’t look well. While I used to think he could go on for another decade, I now suspect he may not last much beyond the celebrations of the revolution’s half century in 2009.

Castro may well be of the same opinion. Speaking to the university students, he addressed the problem of what might happen after his death, and asked a series of rhetorical questions: “When the veterans start disappearing, to make room for new generations of leaders, what will be done? Can the revolutionary process be made irreversible?’’ He warned that it would be possible for the country to self-destruct. He said it would be up to the new generation to see that this did not happen, admitting that his own rule had hardly been perfect. “After all, we witnessed many mistakes that we simply did not notice at the time.’’

THE United States will not succeed in its attempt to destroy Cuban President Fidel Castro's resolve to serve humanity, Dr Kenneth Kaunda said yesterday.

In an interview, Dr Kaunda said he was delighted that President Castro had invited him to attend his 80th birthday celebrations scheduled for August. "We have been personal friends for a long time indeed," Dr Kaunda said.

Coordinator for Africa and the Middle East in the Department of International Relations of the Central Council of the Cuban Communist Party, Dr Rodolfo Puente Ferro, disclosed to The Post in Havana, Cuba, last week that Dr Kaunda was among the eminent personalities from around the world who would grace President Castro's 80th birthday anivessarry on August 13, 2006.

And Dr Kaunda said President Castro had contributed towards a safe global village due to his belief in socialism, which favoured the poor people.

He said President Castro had succeeded in making the Cuban population as one of the most educated people in Latin America. "He has trained doctors, engineers and professionals...a number of those doctors, engineers and other professionals have come to Africa to assist the poverty stricken continent," Dr Kaunda said.

"When Angola was invaded by the Afrikaans or Boers' troops, Comrade Castro sent his troops to assist his brothers here in Africa."

Venezuela Decorates Cuban President

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Cuba, Britain, Queen, Elizabeth, Castro, Fidel, 80thbirthday,

Honduras new leader sees 'betrayal' before taking office

LIBRE! Free Party presidential candidate Xiomara Castro speaks to supporters after general elections in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Nov. 28, 2021. The prospects of Castro governing with support of a solid congressional majority has taken a hit before she's even been inaugurated. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo, File)

MARLON GONZÁLEZ
Fri, January 21, 2022

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Honduran President-elect Xiomara Castro saw her prospects of a successful administration take a hit on Friday even before she has been sworn in: A battle for leadership of the newly elected Congress devolved into shouting and shoving among her own allies.

The dispute threatens to split her own Liberty and Refoundation Party, as well as its alliance with the party of Vice President Salvador Nasralla — and raised suspicions that the outgoing government is trying to scuttle her administration before it can start.

Castro had promised to give leadership of the new Congress to an allied party she will depend upon to pass legislation after she takes office on Thursday.

Instead, 20 members of her own party broke ranks and chose one of their own members as leader — getting votes from anti-Castro parties to defeat the president-elect's candidate

It infuriated Castro, who tweeted, “The betrayal is complete."

Castro's party, known as Libre, won 50 seats in the 128-seat Congress in November elections and to pass legislation, it will need votes from allies such as Nasralla's Honduras Salvation Party.

Nasralla ended his own presidential campaign and endorsed Castro in October, creating a united front to remove the ruling National Party from power. As part of the deal, Nasralla got the vice presidency and his party was to lead the new Congress.

That leader was supposed to be Luis Redondo. But on Friday, 20 Libre lawmakers instead threw their support to one of their own, Jorge Cálix, and and other parties opposed to Castro backed him as well.

That set off shoving and shouting between loyalist and breakaway members of Libre inside the chamber. Outside, meanwhile, angry Libre supporters chained the doors of Congress so the lawmakers could not exit. Riot police moved in and eventually regained control.

Political analyst and former presidential candidate Olban Valladares said the dispute could be the result of interference from the outgoing administration of President Juan Orlando Hernández, whose National Party had controlled the previous Congress with its allies.

Valladares said the developments made it doubtful that Castro would be able to count on the full support of her party to resolve Honduras’ problems.

Former President Manuel Zelaya, Castro’s husband, said via Twitter that the selection of Cálix would not be recognized and traitors would be expelled.

REST IN POWER
French architect and left-wing activist Roland Castro dies aged 82

Jonny Walfisz
Fri, 10 March 2023 



The French architect made his name through his design plans predicated on raising the standard of living for working class neighbourhoods and his involvement in the May 1968 Paris student protests.

Born Limoges in 1940, Castro's Jewish heritage meant he spent the first years of his life in hiding during the Vichy regime. Alongside his parents and sister, Casto took refuge in the Limousin hinterland, in Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, where he was hidden by the Maquis, the communist resistance force.

His experience with the Maquis would define his worldview, believing he had “a debt of existence to France.”

“Architecture, the suburbs, the causes have never been lacking: everything has been a pretext for settling this debt,” he once said.

His ambition took him to the Paris Beaux-Arts architecture school in 1958 and joined the Union of Communist Students. Ever committed to his intellectual integrity, he was expelled from the union in 1965 for criticising Stalinism. In response, he embraced Maoism, as was popular in French communist circles at the time.

He became a leading figure in the anti-capitalism protests that erupted throughout France during May 1968 bringing the country to a standstill. Castro was involved in the student paper ‘Melp!’ which publicised the motivations behind the riots to the general public.

Castro became an architect and in 1983, and co-founded ‘Banlieues 89’ with his urbanist friend Michel Cantal-Dupart. Banlieues 89 was a vehicle for his political and architectural ideals with the mantra “to make a revolution in the suburbs.”

In 1983, President François Mitterrand (C) and architect Roland Castro (R) visit the new stock exchange building in Saint-Denis. - PIERRE GUILLAUD/AFP or licensors

The project was responsible for the renovation of Cité de la Caravelle in Villeneuve-la-Garenne and the housing estates in the Hauts-de-Seine. Castro also designed the Cité de la bande dessinée in Angoulême and the Bourse du Travail in Saint-Denis.

Roland Castro's buildings were often grafted onto existing constructions. He added asymmetrical lines, combining wood and concrete, and favoured white, adorned with plant facades.

More than 200 projects were submitted to Banlieues 89, but the operation faced financial reluctance from the French government, and the collective dissolved in 1991.



In 2017, Castro came out in support of President Emmanuel Macron.

The President responded to the architect's death on Twitter, writing: "Legend of architecture and urbanism, visionary left-wing activist, Roland Castro has left us. On our urban landscape, it bequeaths an indelible imprint. To the citizens, an inspiration. Goodbye and thank you, Roland."

Castro was a colourful figure of French intellectualism, donning a trademark pinstripe suit and socialising with Jean-Paul Sartre, Jacques Lacan (who psychoanalysed him for seven years), as well as meeting Che Guevera and Fidel Castro - no family relation.

Honduras political crisis deepens ahead of president-elect's swearing-in

Honduras political crisis deepens ahead of president-elect's swearing-inLibre party supporters demonstrated in support of Luis Redondo as Congress president (AFP/Orlando SIERRA)

Moises Avila with Eva Rodriguez in Washington
Tue, January 25, 2022, 

Rival factions of Honduras' newly-elected congress held duelling first sessions Tuesday as a split in president-elect Xiomara's Castro's party deepened two days before her swearing-in.

With the United States watching closely, about a third of the 50 MPs of Castro's leftist Libre party pressed on with a rebellion that could threaten her hold on Congress.

Castro needs a firm majority to implement her anti-corruption and political reform platform in a country battered by poverty, migration and drug trafficking.


On Sunday, the Libre rebels -- with backing from rightwing parties hitherto in control of the legislature -- named one of their own, Jorge Calix, as Congress president in a ceremony at a private venue.

In the legislature, meanwhile, Castro loyalists nominated Luis Redondo of Libre's alliance partner, the Savior Party of Honduras (PSH), as had been agreed before the election.

The Libre rebels broke ranks because they insist Congress should be led by the party with the most members -- Libre has 50 deputies compared to just 10 for the Savior party.

Sunday's events came just days after lawmakers came to blows in the legislative chamber over who should lead Congress -- chosen last November in general elections won by Castro and Libre -- for its four-year term.

Calix and the other rebels were then expelled from the party, but remain lawmakers for now.

- Call for calm -

Castro has recognized Redondo and invited him to preside over her swearing-in on Thursday.

She has branded Calix a "traitor" doing the bidding of entrenched rightwing politicians opposed to her vow to clean house.

On Tuesday, Redondo presided over an opening session of part of the Congress in the legislature building.

In parallel, and via Zoom, Calix presided over an alternative session with almost 20 rebel Libre members as well as MPs of the National and Liberal parties.

The Calix meeting drew more lawmakers -- over 70, which is a majority of the 128-member Congress.

Numbers for Redondo were bolstered by substitute lawmakers standing in in the absence of the rebels attending the Calix gathering.

"We call on political actors to remain calm, to engage in dialogue, to refrain from violence and provocative rhetoric," US State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters in Washington on Monday.

- 'We will be talking' -

US Vice President Kamala Harris is due to attend Thursday's swearing-in.

But the uncertainty in Congress has created a legitimacy crisis around Castro, with analysts saying the ceremony could be delayed.

Redondo claimed Monday that "someone from the American embassy contacted me, and we will be talking to them."

Honduran media reported that Calix also received a call from the US embassy -- which he did not confirm.

Dissident congressman Yahve Sabillon told local media that representatives for Calix and Redondo had met to seek an agreement.

AFP could not independently verify this information.

Castro won election on November 28 to become the first woman president of Honduras and end 12 years of rightwing National Party (PN) rule.

She is the wife of Manuel Zelaya, a former president who was deposed in a 2009 coup supported by the military, business elites and the political right.

Castro's victory involved an alliance with the PSH, which will see its leader Salvador Nasralla named vice-president.

Calix had promised Sunday to work for Castro's program, in spite of her rejection of his nomination.

"We have a communication with this dissident group. They are all friends. We are always talking to them and looking for ways out," Zelaya, coordinator of Libre, told AFP.

"Logically we support Luis Redondo, but we are always open to seeking integration and dialogue," he added.

nl-mav/lda/mlr/bc/dw

Leftist wins Honduran presidential vote after rival concedes

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Honduras ruling party conceded defeat Tuesday in presidential elections held two days earlier, giving victory to leftist opposition candidate Xiomara Castro and easing fears of another contested vote and violent protests.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

Tegucigalpa Mayor Nasry Asfura of the National Party said in a statement that he had personally congratulated Castro, despite only about half the voting tallies being counted from Sunday's election.


Castro had 53% of the votes and Asfura 34%, with 52% of the tallies counted, according to the National Electoral Council. The council has 30 days from the election to declare a winner.

Asfura said he had met with Castro and her family.

“Now I want to say it publicly," the conservative candidate said. “That I congratulate her for her victory and as president elect, I hope that God illuminates and guides her so that her administration does the best for the benefit of all of us Hondurans, to achieve development and the desires for democracy.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated Castro minutes later.

“The United States congratulates the people of Honduras on their election and Xiomara Castro on her historic victory as Honduras’ first female president,” Blinken said in a statement. “We look forward to working with the next government of Honduras. We congratulate Hondurans for the high voter turnout, peaceful participation, and active civil society engagement that marked this election, signaling an enduring commitment to the democratic process.”

Asfura’s recognition of the outcome was a relief to many Hondurans who had feared a contested election after a debacle in 2017 led to street protests that left 23 people dead.

Castro rode a wave of popular discontent with 12 years of National Party governance, which peaked in the second term of outgoing President Juan Orlando Hernández.

Expectations of a Castro victory drove thousands into the streets of Tegucigalpa Sunday in celebration. On Monday, the capital’s streets were quiet as if it were a holiday and on Tuesday Hondurans exhaled in relief that the election had not taken a violent turn.

But Castro will face major challenges.

Unemployment is above 10%, northern Honduras was devastated by two major hurricanes last year and street gangs drag down the economy with their extortion rackets and violence.

On Tuesday, Vielka Yossira López folded jeans at a stand in the sprawling Comayaguela street market.

The 24-year-old single mother of two said she didn’t vote, but hoped for change.

“How am I going to lose a day of work to go vote,” López said. “I don’t work, I don’t eat.”

When López contracted COVID-19, she wasn’t able to work for two months. In that time she sold her bed, her refrigerator, television and cellphone so she could buy food and diapers for her children, ages 3 and 6.

López makes 200 lempiras, about $8.25 per day. She pays $1.60 of that just for transportation to and from work each day.

Her 6-year-old has been out of school for more than a year. Initially, it was the pandemic, but then it was the cost of getting him there. She said he’s smart and she wants him to resume her studies, but for now it works better to pay the babysitter to keep an eye on both kids.

López is hopeful that if Castro becomes president she will bring with her a better understanding of what it takes to raise a family.

“Hopefully there will be a change by having a woman,” López said. “She has children and everything.”

Christopher Sherman, The Associated Press

Rolando Cubela, the Cuban Commander who Conspired to Kill Fidel Castro, Dies in Miami

Faure Chomón, Fidel Castro and Rolando Cubela after the triumph of the 1959 Revolution. (El rastro del invasor)

14ymedio, Havana, 24 August 24, 2022 — Commander, former political prisoner and doctor Rolando Cubela died at the age of 90 on Tuesday morning in the Miami hospital where he had been admitted for several weeks, according to family sources. A member of the Rebel Army, the guerrilla leader was part of a conspiracy to kill Fidel Castro in the 1960s.

Born in 1932 in the city of Cienfuegos, Cubela studied medicine and was a leader of the University Student Federation (FEU). After Fulgencio Batista’s military coup, on March 10, 1952, he joined the Revolutionary Directorate, a group founded by José Antonio Echeverría and Fructuoso Rodríguez.

Cubela was part of the clandestine cell that murdered Colonel Antonio Blanco Rico, head of the Military Intelligence Service, in Havana on October 27, 1956. After that action, he went into exile in Miami, where he was when his colleagues from the Directorate raided the Presidential Palace, on March 13, 1957, and failed to kill Batista.

Upon his return to Cuba, he established himself with other members of the Revolutionary Directorate in the guerrilla struggle in the Escambray mountains, where in 1958 he signed the Pact of El Pedrero with Ernesto Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos, an alliance with the July 26 Movement that allowed the capture of the city of Santa Clara, in which Cubela was injured.

After Fidel Castro came to power, he was promoted to the rank of commander of the Armed Forces, and in 1959 he was elected president of the FEU over the other candidate, Pedro Luis Boitel, who in 1972 died on a hunger strike in prison. From the first years, Cubela began to have profound differences with the communist course of the revolutionary process.

In November 1963, a CIA agent met Cubela in Paris, who then held the position of military attaché of the Cuban embassy in Madrid. There he was given a feather, with poison in the quill, to puncture Castro when he was near him. But Cubela never used the device, since he preferred to use a rifle with a telescopic sight and silencer so as not to be so close to the target.

The delivery of the rifle was delayed, and the Cuban intelligence services ended up encircling Cubela, who was arrested in February 1966 and sentenced to death, although, due to Castro’s direct intervention, his sentence was commuted to 25 years, of which he served 12. In 1979, he went into exile in Madrid, where he worked as a doctor, and in 1988 he obtained Spanish nationality.

His profile in Madrid was very discreet due to the danger of being killed by Castro. In 2007, he participated in two public events organized by the Democracia Ya Platform, one of them in front of the Cuban Embassy in Madrid. Unlike other exiled commanders, such as Huber Matos and Eloy Gutiérrez Menoyo, Cubela did not found an anti-Castro organization during his time off the island.

After retiring from his job as a doctor, he settled in Miami, where he also maintained a low profile. The man who could have killed Fidel Castro survived him by at least six years.

Translated by Regina Anavy

Caldwells Bad Investment Advice

Theo Caldwell, yes the Caldwell Investment Banker,

- Theo Caldwell, president of Caldwell Asset Management, Inc., is an investment advisor in the United States and Canada.

in the National Pest whines about Canada's support for Cuba through both business investment and tourism. He makes spurious claims, unsubstantiated by a single fact, in his opinion piece.

He claims;

"It grates against our national character that Canada continues to do business with Cuba, thereby helping to prop up Fidel Castro's tyrannical regime."

Oh really. Which national character is that? Perhaps it grates the right wing supporters of the Reform/Alliance/Conservative Party, but they are far from the majority of Canadians. In fact one of the ironies is that Alberta, home of the Republican Lite Right Wing in Canada is also the source of the greatest trading partners with Cuba; Sherritt Mining.

As well Albertans travel to Cuba, as Caldwell further whines about claiming that Cubans will go to jail and be tortured if they visit Canada's Delta Hotel Resorts.

The tragic irony of sipping a Cuba Libre beside the pool in a hotel that native Cubans are forbidden from entering under pain of imprisonment, and within walking distance of one of Castro's torture chambers,

And Alberta farmers have long traded cattle and bull semen with current Cuban Leader Raul Castro, who has spent years cross breeding Latin American cattle with Alberta Angus.

He concludes;

"But whether or not the despot has gone on to his reward, passing power to his equally brutal brother Raul, tyranny is tyranny and Canada ought to have nothing to do with it."

Not good investment advice. One would expect better from a capitalist like Caldwell. But with his cold war mentality he is out in the cold on his anti-Cuba strategy.

Cuba Fund Has Biggest-Ever Surge After Castro Resigns (Update3)
Bloomberg
Castro's decision is ``a clear step towards the possibility of the US resuming trade with Cuba,'' Miami-based investor Thomas J. Herzfeld said during a ...
How to profit from Castro's resignation CNNMoney.com
Investing in a Post-Castro Cuba U.S. News & World Report
Equity revolution! Globe and Mail
Stocks with Cuban exposure rise on Castro resignation CBC News
Cuba: The Investment Play Conde Nast Portfolio

The real question here is does Caldwell live by the principles he espouses? Well not really. Sure his Caldwell Canada Mutual Fund (Caldwell Investment Mgmt Ltd.) isn't invested in Sherritt.

But they are invested in Talisman Energy, the big oil company that invested in Sudan known for promoting slavery, torture, etc. making Cuba look like a workers paradise. That offended the national character of Canadians who forced Talisman to divest of its investment in Sudan.

No thanks to Theo Caldwell or his investment fund.

Caldwell focuses on companies with at least $500 million in market capitalization, and his current Caldwell Canada holdings are predominantly mid-cap stocks. He will re-assess the portfolio at least once every quarter and expects the portfolio turnover to be 100% or higher.

He wants to be fully invested at all times and is comfortable having a stock holding of 5% to 10% of the portfolio. In terms of his sell discipline, "once stocks stop going up, we sell," he says.

Caldwell will make significant sector bets. Compared to the S&P/TSX Composite Index benchmark, as of Feb. 15, Caldwell Canada is close to 100% overweight in both the energy and the basic materials sectors, and "considerably" overweight in communications and media.

By comparison, the fund is underweight by more than 80% in financial services. "As an owner of the fund, you will be overweight in the sectors that have been doing the best," he says.

But Caldwell will limit his sector exposure. Overall, his portfolio won't hold more than double the index weight in any sector or 10%, whichever is greater.

He'll also avoid some well known "sin stocks." Along with the strategy of owning "high flyers," the focus is on companies that at their core are "deep down helping people," says Caldwell. "So we don't own alcohol, tobacco or gambling companies. I don't need to own them to make this work."

Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
cuba, castro, trade, Canada, tourism, Caldwell Asset Management, Sherritt, economy,

UPDATED

In pictures: Hundreds of thousands march to support Gaza in Washington, DC

Protest leaders demanded the US secure a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, stop unconditionally funding the Israeli government, and hold Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet ministers accountable.

SHABINA S. KHATRI
AA


TRT WORLD

Hundreds of thousands marched in support of Palestinians amid Israel’s bombardment of Gaza on January 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. Photo: William Castro/TRT World


Hundreds of thousands of people rallied in support of Palestine on Saturday in Washington, DC. The event was the latest in a series of protests held by pro-Palestinian supporters around the world, including a major rally in London over the weekend, amid Israel's ongoing bombardment of Gaza.

The March on Washington for Gaza was endorsed by hundreds of organisations, including American Muslims for Palestine (AMP). According to leaders, the rally is one of the largest pro-Palestinian protests held in the US since Israel's Oct. 7 war on Gaza began, with hundreds of thousands of attendees.

The rally began in Freedom Plaza and ended in front of the White House.



TRT WORLD

Hundreds of thousands marched in support of Palestinians amid Israel’s bombardment of Gaza on January 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. Photo: William Castro/TRT World


Several high-profile speakers addressed the Washington crowd, including third party presidential candidate Dr. Cornel West, Code Pink Director Medea Benjamin and Imam Omar Suleiman.



The Palestinian American scholar called out the "insanity of the moment" in a direct attack on President Joe Biden. Referring to the recent US bombings of Yemen's Houthis, Suleiman said:


"You are shameless. If you have failed to see our humanity, we have not failed to see your hypocrisy. You've made it clear that shipping lanes in Yemen are more important to you than our lives. And you've made it clear that you want our votes without hearing our voices.

"But we're going to make you hear our voice today on behalf of all of these families and all of the martyrs and all of those that are still standing strong. Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., we charge you with genocide."



TRT WORLD

Hundreds of thousands marched in support of Palestinians amid Israel’s bombardment of Gaza on January 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. Photo: William Castro/TRT World


More than 23,000 people have been killed since Israel began bombing Gaza in October, including at least 10,000 children and 100 journalists. Amid international calls for a ceasefire from more than 150 countries and dozens of aid groups, Biden has stood by Israel.



TRT WORLD

Hundreds of thousands marched in support of Palestinians amid Israel’s bombardment of Gaza on January 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. Photo: William Castro/TRT World


In a letter sent to Biden, protest leaders said they demanded Biden work to secure a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, stop unconditionally funding the Israeli government, and hold Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet ministers accountable.



TRT WORLD

Hundreds of thousands marched in support of Palestinians amid Israel’s bombardment of Gaza on January 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. Photo: William Castro/TRT World


Al Jazeera journalist Wael al Dahdouh, whose wife, daughter, two sons and a grandchild were killed by Israeli airstrikes, also spoke to the crowd via video link.


“The people are paying an exorbitant price, and are living a disastrous life,” he said. “People do not have sustenance, food or drink, a place to sleep, a bathroom and what is necessary for a life, not for a decent life, rather what is basically necessary to maintain life.”



TRT WORLD

Hundreds of thousands marched in support of Palestinians amid Israel’s bombardment of Gaza on January 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. Photo: William Castro/TRT World


Organisers said the march was particularly timely as the bombing of Gaza approaches 100 days on Monday.

That date coincides with the birthday of civil rights icon Martin Luther King, whose anti-war record and reputation for speaking against oppression inspired some Gaza supporters.



TRT WORLD

Hundreds of thousands marched in support of Palestinians amid Israel’s bombardment of Gaza on January 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. Photo: William Castro/TRT World


In addition to Palestinian flags, many protesters waved South African flags as they chanted in support of Pretoria for filing a case against Israel in front of the International Court of Justice in the Hague in the Netherlands.



TRT WORLD

Hundreds of thousands marched in support of Palestinians amid Israel’s bombardment of Gaza on January 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. Photo: William Castro/TRT World


But the names most prominent on speakers' lips were Biden and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.



TRT WORLD

Hundreds of thousands marched in support of Palestinians amid Israel’s bombardment of Gaza on January 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. Photo: William Castro/TRT World


In a statement alluding to the upcoming US elections in November, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Executive Director Nihad Awad said, "the Biden administration can no longer ignore the millions of Americans who are saying 'enough is enough.' It is time for the administration to listen to the people and demand an immediate ceasefire, end its support for the Israeli apartheid government, and hold Israeli officials to account for their crimes against humanity."

SOURCE: TRT WORLD

Shabina Khatri is a Senior Editor at TRT World and is based in Washington, D.C.
@shabinakhatri

Video: Palestinian supporters try to breach White House fencing, rioters attack officers, staffers relocated, no arrests

PAUL SACCA
THE BLAZE
JANUARY 13, 2024

Thousands of Palestinian supporters descended on Washington, D.C. on Saturday in a demonstration to demand a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. However, the protest escalated into a violent confrontation with law enforcement that damaged the fence protecting the White House.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators participated in the March on Washington for Gaza – which called for "an immediate ceasefire, an end to U.S. military funding to Israel, and lifting the siege on Gaza."

Protesters waved Palestinian flags, and lashed out at President Joe Biden. The protesters held signs that read: "Genocide Joe has got to go" and "Biden has blood on his hands." The crowd also chanted: "F*** Joe Biden!" The demonstrators threw dozens of bloodied baby dolls over the fence protecting the White House.

However, the protest became violent as Palestine supporters hurled objects at law enforcement guarding the White House. The mob also damaged the security fence in front of the White House, reportedly forcing Secret Service members suited up in riot gear to try to quell the tense situation.


Video journalist Julio Rosas wrote on the X social media platform, "DC police and Secret Service had to rush to one part of the security fence to prevent a breach from the Palestinian crowd."

Field reporter Wid Lyman noted, "Protesters have breached the reinforced gate and riot police have confronted them - other protesters began scaling the fence."

Some of the protesters near the barrier were heard shouting: "Break it down!

White House staff and journalists were "relocated" during the escalation.

The U.S. Secret Service told Fox News, "During the demonstration near the White House complex Jan. 13, a portion of the anti-scale fencing that was erected for the event sustained temporary damage. The issues were promptly repaired on site by U.S. Secret Service support teams."

"As a precaution, some members of the media and staff in proximity to Pennsylvania Avenue were temporarily relocated while the issue was being addressed," the statement read. "The Secret Service made no arrests associated with the march and there was no property damage to the White House or adjacent buildings."

Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith said in a statement, "The right to peacefully protest is one of the cornerstones of our democracy, and the Metropolitan Police Department has long supported those who visit our city to demonstrate safely. However, violence, destructive behavior, and criminal activities are not tolerated."

"While a majority of today’s demonstration remained peaceful, there were instances of illegal and destructive behavior in Lafayette Park, including items being thrown at our officers," Smith added. "We are supporting our partners at the United States Park Police as they investigate and hold those found responsible accountable for their actions."

Authorities anticipated possible unrest in the capital and erected extra fencing around the White House before Saturday.

President Biden was not at the White House at the time of the violence since he had already departed to Camp David on Saturday morning.

A Pro-Palestinian protester holds a placard depicting US President Joe Biden (L on poster) and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R on poster). 

(Photo by DAVIDE LONGARI / AFP)(AFP)

Protesters demand cease-fire at March for Gaza rally in Washington DC

Thousands gather in US capital as Israel's Gaza offensive approaching 100 days

Rabia İclal Turan |14.01.2024 - 
SOURCE: TRT WORLD

Pro-Palestinian demonstration in Washington DC

WASHINGTON

Tens of thousands of people gathered Saturday in Washington DC for a march and rally to demand a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and an end to US military aid to Israel.

The rally, organized by the American Muslim Task Force on Palestine and ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and Racism), started with remarks from Americans whose families have been killed in Gaza.

Alaa Hussein Ali, from the state of Michigan, said he lost 100 family members, including more than 60 children, in Gaza in what he called a “genocide.”

He said his brother went looking for water for a “dangerous trip” from the north to the south of Gaza, but never came back as he was killed by an Israeli sniper.

“He was shot several times in his chest. And he was found five days later in one of the hospitals in Gaza,” he said.

Adam, who is a Palestinian-American pharmacist from Gaza, said he lost more than 100 family members, including his father, in the Israeli offensive.

“Israel killed a man who loved life, loved peace, loved people, loved nature. And most of all, he loved his grandkids,” he said.

“The tale of each family member who was murdered is a testimony of ongoing genocide of my Palestinian people,” he said. “President Biden can easily put a stop to this genocide.”

“He can easily pick up the phone and call Israel to stop this madness,” he added.

The crowd chanted: “Free Palestine”, “Ceasefire Now”, and “End the occupation” while holding signs that read: “End the war on Gaza” and “Let Gaza Live.”

The rally continued with speeches from prominent activists, community leaders and celebrities before protesters marched through the streets of the US capital.