Cuba, international flotilla preparing to set sail: “People under siege like in Gaza”

Madrid (Spain), 13 Feb. (LaPresse) – A new international Flotilla carrying food and medicine is preparing to set sail for Cuba, while the United States has imposed stricter restrictions that have worsened the island’s energy crisis. The maritime mission, called ‘Nuestra América Flotilla’, which is expected to depart next month crossing the Caribbean Sea, has received support from various figures of the international left, from former British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn to U.S. congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, from Colombian MP María Fernanda Carrascal to former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, who personally took part in the Global Sumud Flotilla bound for Gaza. It is precisely that experience which inspires this new mission, promoted among others by the political organization Progressive International. Yesterday, a campaign was launched to raise funds and collect aid. “We do not yet know the number of vessels the Flotilla will be able to rely on, as it depends on the support we receive, in terms of donations, crew and also ships,” Progressive International spokesperson James Schneider told LaPresse, adding that the mission could depart from several countries. On Sunday, the first international assembly of the Flotilla will be held to advance logistical planning, coordinate volunteers and begin the procurement of humanitarian aid. The first hours of fundraising and aid collection are going well, “the start is encouraging, but we still need much more support,” Schneider explained. According to the spokesperson, “even if only one ship manages to set sail and dock in Cuba, it will already be an important result to break the siege and restore international solidarity”; however, the organizers hope for massive mobilization. “The U.S. government is suffocating the Cuban people and creating a humanitarian crisis. Cubans have been left without electricity, without food, without medicine, without energy. It is not an exaggeration to see parallels with the treatment reserved by Israel for Gaza: a siege, an act of collective punishment that violates every aspect of international law,” Schneider stated, “we will work to break the siege and hope for the support of many movements, but also of progressive governments in the region.”