Cindy Sheehan: "It's time to occupy the institutions holding the Five as prisoners"

_ Luis Ernesto Ruiz Martínez

THOUSANDS of women from the city of Holguín accompanied Cindy Sheehan and the mothers of the Five through the streets of my city, during the morning hours of November 20. Holguín awoke with its public spaces filled with women demanding the immediate release of our compatriots unjustly imprisoned in the United States.

Thus began the last day of the International Conference to Free the Five, held in Holguín, November 16-20. The women of Holguín gave their response to calls made during the event. With signs, banners and Cuban flags along with those from friendly countries around the world, they packed the streets, representing the path of world solidarity being constructed.

While I watched, I recalled those who in many countries are outraged by the brutality of capitalism. It is a veritable explosion of unsatisfied demands which is forcing them to occupy centers of imperialist power. It is a movement that should not and cannot be ignored.

It has become popular to "occupy" such sites. In the United States, the capital of imperialism, one woman has become a symbol of the struggle. She has declared her support for the Five before, but never as forcefully as she did when her voice was heard by thousands of Holguín's people.

In the open forum held after the women's march, the voice of U.S. anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan was heard louder and with more determination than anyone could have imagined. She said, "It's a beautiful morning and everything looks lovely to me. It is a great honor for me to represent here the solidarity of my people with you. I love your country and I love you because you are a people who are fighting for peace."

Her proposal to occupy U.S. institutions complemented her statement that not enough is being done in the United States for peace. She knows; she lives in the belly of the beast.

"I have to continue living in the empire because it is our responsibility to be on the side of those who suffer as a result of terrorism sponsored by the United States," stated Sheehan, the mother of Casey, who died in the Iraq war as a soldier in the occupying U.S. forces.

Later on she proposed, "If hundreds of people surround the White House, or the courts where they were unjustly tried, and decide that we are not going to leave until the Five are freed, the government will have to listen."

Before finishing her comments, Sheehan invited the mothers of Antonio Guerrero and Fernando González to join her at the podium where she presented them with her most treasured possession, a necklace bearing a charm engraved with the phrase "For Mom, with love." Many years ago, her son had given it to her and today it is a symbol of peace.

Rosa Aurora Freijanes, Fernando's wife, also spoke at the event saying, "One more time this year, we must denounce the injustice being perpetuated against our families. Obama's Presidential campaign spoke of change. Why doesn't he change the situation faced by our families? It's time."

And this is precisely the issue. Those attending the Colloquium have acknowledged the urgent necessity of assuring that the case of the Five is widely known and does not continue to be silenced by the mass media. Only international solidarity can achieve the freedom of the Five, so that these five families can be reunited to build the dreams they have held so long. (Taken from CubaDebate)

GRANMA