Kingston, Jamaica, 23 September 2020. Professor Trevor Brown, president of the Jamaica-Cuba Friendship Association, sent us the text of the statement issued by that organization on the occasion of the 152 Anniversary of the Grito de Lares:
The Jamaica Cuba Friendship Association joins with the rest of progressive humanity in commemorating with our brothers and sisters of Puerto Rico, their heroic action 152 years ago, in a day immortalised in our collective consciousness, the anniversary of Grito de Lares.
An action that anyone who values their freedom from domination and exploitation would champion, in an era where the struggle against colonialism burns deeply in the hearts of patriots and the living of example of this resistance been reflected by the patriots in sister country Cuba.
It is in this crucible that revolutionary tradition of resistance and struggle for independence, that the torch was passed onto companero Filiberto Ojeda Rios, who carried out his duty with the kind of responsibility that leaders of his mettle are usually favoured by history to do.
The trumped up charges that flowed from the empire and its underlings, resulting in his unjustifiable incarceration and subsequent assassination by its agents, are the usual ways that the forces of evil try to hold back the peoples struggle for justice, independence and self-determination.
The essence of the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution shines through like a beacon on a day like this, when we honour the legacy of Grito de Lares, ‘You cannot kill ideas’, and our compatriots on the frontlines of the struggle in defence of their inalienable right for independence and a better life for its people, can count on the support of their Jamaican brothers and sisters, as your struggle is our struggle.
One Love and one struggle!
Trevor G. Brown
President
Jamaica-Cuba Friendship Association