The Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) and the Cuba–Türkiye Friendship Association “José Martí” held a protest in front of the Embassy of the United States in Ankara, chanting: “We stand with the Cuban people!”
Members of the TKP marched to the U.S. diplomatic mission in Ankara to denounce the U.S. blockade imposed on Cuba.
During the demonstration, Ali Ufuk Arikan, a member of the TKP Central Committee, declared:
“The Cuban people will not bow down to these bandits and we will not leave them alone.”
Arikan stated that the blockade the United States has maintained against socialist Cuba for decades has taken on a new dimension following the latest executive order signed by President Donald Trump. He emphasized that, while genocide is being threatened against Cuba by halting the flow of oil and energy resources, the Cuban people and leadership have declared they will not succumb to these attacks.
Protesters gathered in front of the embassy building overcame a police blockade and marched toward the front of the diplomatic compound. Carrying a banner reading “U.S. genocidal state, take your hands off Cuba!”, the crowd repeatedly chanted slogans such as “Down with U.S. imperialism,” “Cuba Yes, Yankee No,” and “The Cuban people are not alone.”
In his speech before the embassy, Arikan conveyed a strong message of solidarity:
“Our friends are the Cuban revolutionaries and the poor of the whole world. Not these thugs!”
He continued:
“We are with Cuba and against U.S. vandalism. The Cuban people, the Cuban revolutionaries, the patriots, the communists are not alone. We are here today in Türkiye to prove it. But not only in Türkiye — all over the world there are friends of the Cuban Revolution. There are honorable friends of the Cuban revolutionaries, of the Cuban people. And we can do much more for the Cuban people.”
Arikan also recalled the signature campaign launched by the Cuba Friendship Association “José Martí” and stated:
“This campaign will lay the foundation for a new campaign in which we will work meticulously on everything Cuba concretely needs; that is the first point. But secondly, and more importantly, we will always stand against these bandits. Those who want to turn Cuba into hell will have to face the anger of the revolutionaries in Türkiye and throughout the world. The Cuban people, the Cuban revolutionaries are not alone.”
The party leader underscored the determination behind the protest:
“They will hear and see up close the anger of the revolutionaries. We are furious, very furious. We are here because we are furious at the attempts to strangle Cuba. We have no intention of confronting anyone, but know that we will confront with great determination those who attack Cuba. If they attempt to intensify these threats, we will not maintain the calm we have today. We declare it in Türkiye and throughout the world: we will not leave them alone, no matter what. We will continue to confront them for the poor of Cuba, for Cuba’s revolutionaries, for the workers and poor of the world. This is our promise, friends: we will not leave them alone. Not in Türkiye nor in the world.”
He also recalled the historic pledge of the Cuban Revolution:
“The Cubans made a promise. When they made their revolution, they said: ‘Patria o muerte,’ they said: ‘Here no one surrenders.’ We declare that Cuba’s friends will not bow down, will not surrender.”
Arikan affirmed that the mobilization was meant to make their position clear:
“Today we are here for the Cuban people who resist U.S. imperialism, the genocidal U.S. bandits, resisting with dignity and with heads held high. Today we are also here to declare that we are part of the revolutionary legacy left to us by Fidel, Che and Raúl, that we are part of that struggle.”
Linking the Cuban cause to other global struggles, he added:
“Our friends are the Cuban revolutionaries. Our friends are the poor. Our friends are the poor who resist in Palestine. Not this gang of thugs.”
Concluding his remarks, Arikan warned of the humanitarian consequences of the fuel blockade:
“The Cuban people are facing the most inhumane attack the world has ever seen. They have been fighting a brutal blockade for decades, but the Cuban people will not bow down to these thugs. Right now, since January 30, President Trump has decided not to allow a single barrel of fuel into Cuba. Do you know the result? An astonishing 32,000 pregnant women, 62,000 babies and thousands of elderly and sick people face death, the threat of death, the risk of death. Do you know why? Because they did not kneel before these thugs, whom we will not leave in peace, and we will confront them.”