On 24 January, activists from Rock Around the Blockade, Plataforma 12 de Octubre, Cubanos en UK, the Revolutionary Communist Group and other groups and individuals came together to defend the Cuban people and the revolutionary government who uphold the banner of socialism. The demonstration started at The British High Court, where an imperialist vulture fund has brought a lawsuit against the Cuban state. The protestors then moved on to the Cuban embassy, where right-wing opposition activists had planned to come out against Cuban socialism. See below for video coverage of this vibrant solidarity event!
The British High Court was where a lawsuit brought against Cuba by CRF-I Limited, a financial company registered in the Cayman Islands, a tax haven, and a member of the London Club of creditors. These vulture capitalists have filed a lawsuit for $100 million against the Cuban government and the National Bank of Cuba (BNC).Vulture funds are a particularly parasitic expression of imperialism. They buy up the unpayable sovereign debt of underdeveloped and oppressed countries then use legal mechanisms to force debtor countries to recognise them as creditors, despite not being the original lenders nor having a relationship with those countries. They exploit the debt trap imposed on poorer nations, made worse by the ongoing capitalist crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. In the case of Cuba, CRF-I is also exploiting the financial hardship imposed by the illegal 60-year US blockade of Cuba, which was punitively tightened by the Trump administration and then by Biden. Beyond this, the Cuban government contests the validity of the contract that CRF-I Ltd uphold.
On the day of the court case, right-wing opposition activists held an event outside the court, to urge a court decision against Cuba, before gathering outside the Cuban embassy. Some of them will be travelling from as far as Miami. These people have called for the unprecedented tightening of US sanctions under the Trump administration, to suffocate their own families and compatriots on the island. Many have encouraged acts of sabotage and terrorism on the island and called for US military intervention in Cuba. Many are beneficiaries of US funding for regime programmes. They have no shame, no morals and no regard for human rights or sovereignty.