(Forwarded)
Sussex Uni Cuba Solidarity Society
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PLAN COLOMBIA PICKET
THIS SUNDAY (10th DECEMBER)
MEET 10.30am @ POOLE VALLEY COACH STATION
(NEAR PALACE PIER, BEHIND THE CINEMA)
Or join us in London at Downing Street, 2pm. (Nearest tube: Westminster)
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Well Companeros
Thanks to all those who came to the meeting today, and I hope you found it
useful and interesting. Unfortunately Alexander Lopes couldn't make it, due
to having to catch a flight earlier than expected. Instead we heard Andy
Higginbottom (from the Latin American Solidarity Collective in London, who
are organising Sunday's picket) speak on the role of UK multinationals in
Colombia, the most obvious being BP. BP have �25billion invested in
Colombia, and employ private security guards from the ranks of the most
notorious paramilitary groups linked to the Colombian state, and implicated
in the most brutal massacres (see the current edition of "Frontline", the
LASO collective, bulletin, available from us for �1, and see the Guardian
from October 17 1998). Many of BP's top-ranking employees sit on influential
"task forces" in the British government, and Tony Blair appointed Lord
Simon, former chairman of BP, as trade minister a few years ago. This
perhaps goes some way to explaining Britain's �150million donation to their
own version of "Plan Colombia". This is also why its important that we put
pressure on the British government at the picket this weekend. BRING ALL
YOUR FRIENDS! Big thanks also to Maria, who did a great job introducing and
chairing the meeting.
BACARDI TO BE BANNED ON CAMPUS!!
The Student's Union executive committee today voted to end the sale of
Bacardi on campus. This decision must now be ratified by the stock-buying
department of the Union, but that doesn't look like it will be a problem.
The next battle is to get Havana Club introduced on the campus. This rum,
produced in Cuba, is collectively owned by the Cuban people, and the profits
go to fund Cuba's world-praised social programmes. Trade Unions are treated
with more respect in Cuba than anywhere in the world, and working conditions
are far more favourable than in other parts of Latin America. Now that the
Union executive have admitted that the blockade is wrong, and that Bacardi
are wrong to support it, we must persuade them that the next logical step is
to help counter the effects of the blockade by supporting Cuban products
such as Havana Club.
ALSO OF INTEREST TO CUBA SOCIETY MEMBERS...
There will be a meeting next Thursday by members of a Turkish organisation,
DHKC, many of whom's members have been on hunger strike for over a month.
The strike, involving more than 130 Turkish political prisoners, is against
the new isolation cells being introduced into Turkish prisons. 14 of the
prisoners mothers' have now also joined the hunger strike.
Political prisoners are treated exceptionally badly in Turkey, and
massacres are frequent - see the most recent edition of Spark! magazine for
more details. As many of us as possible should go to this meeting, to
improve our understanding of the nature of the fascist regime which rules
Turkey (with the all the military and torture equipment that British
imperialism can supply). The issues are the same worldwide - privatisation,
neoliberalism, unemployment - the differences between Britain, Cuba, and
Turkey lie in the strength and organisation of the resistance, and the
intensity of the repression.
THURSDAY 14th DECEMBER, 2pm, D730.
See you all on Sunday!>...
Sussex Uni Cuba Solidarity Society
