Statement by the Communist Youth of Austria (KJO)
Today marks the 100th anniversary of Fidel Castro’s birth.
“It doesn’t matter if I’m convicted. History will absolve me.”
With these words, Fidel Castro defended himself in court after leading a failed attack against the U.S.-backed Batista dictatorship in Cuba.
Castro was convicted and exiled. But the terror with which Batista sought to keep Cuba as a brothel and casino for the United States could not break the resistance.
Castro returned along with 80 young revolutionaries. Together with the people, they finally succeeded in overthrowing the Batista regime.
Just before the revolution, U.S. companies controlled 90% of the mines and half of Cuba’s territory.
Seventy percent of farmers had to work on land owned by others, 85% of the rural population had no access to medical care, and almost no one could read or write.
The measures adopted by the Castro government put an end to this situation: the land of the large landowners was expropriated, monopolies were eliminated, and hundreds of thousands of farmers received land.
Despite U.S. attacks, hundreds of assassination attempts against Castro, and a blockade that continues to this day, Cuba maintained its sovereignty and achieved significant social progress.
Cuba lifted an entire population out of poverty: illiteracy was eradicated with incredible speed, the healthcare system was expanded to the highest standards, and medical care and research are among the best in the world.
Cuba demonstrates what a country is capable of when capitalist interests have been overcome.
This is precisely what remains a thorn in the side of the United States to this day, and the achievements of the Cuban people are in danger. The blockade, which violates international law and has been repeatedly intensified in recent months, aims to suffocate the Cuban people.
Cuba will once and for all be turned back into the backyard of U.S. imperialism, a gambling paradise and a brothel for the U.S. elite.
Honoring Fidel Castro means defending the Cuban Revolution and understanding its struggle against imperialism and exploitation as part of our own struggle.
Every attack on Cuba is also directed against all those who fight for the self-determination of peoples and for a society free from exploitation.
Every victory against exploitation and imperialism—here as elsewhere—is also a victory for Cuba. Therefore, our solidarity with Cuba is intrinsically linked to our own struggle for socialism.
LONG LIVE SOCIALIST CUBA!
LONG LIVE INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY!