Cubans March Against Raul Castro In Ecuador

Cubans March Against Raul Castro In Ecuador / 14ymedio, Mario Penton

14ymedio, Mario Penton, Miami, 6 July 2016 — Hundreds of people went to
the Cuban embassy in Quito in Monday with the purpose of "repudiating"
President Raul Castro and recent statements issued by the embassy in
which they were accused of "seeking points" to reach the United States.

"This is not about seeking points, but defending the truth. We fled a
dictatorship, the longest this continent has ever had, so we condemn the
Castros and we do so at in their own embassy. We have lost the fear,"
Enrique Santana, one of the protesters, told 14ymedio.

"We stopped the traffic. The police guarded our way to the embassy. We
wanted to deliver a statement of repudiation. There were about 500
people," said another of the Cubans.

According to witnesses, the diplomatic representatives of the island
accepted the document with the words of migrants who are spending the
night at El Arbolito Park in Quito, after they were evicted by the
police from a demonstration in front of the Mexican Embassy when they
asked for humanitarian visas to enable them to reach the United States.

"They did it through a crack, but they accepted our demand," said Jorge
Sanchez, another of the protesters, who also says that "it was the first
time" something happened.

"Yes, we are counterrevolutionaries. At the embassy it doesn't matter
that they mistreat us and even beat our children, so now we respond that
we are not afraid," said Efrain Sanchez Mateo, coordinator of the group.
According to what Sanchez Mateo explained to this newspaper, his family
on the island has been threatened by State Security because of his
demonstrations in Ecuador. "They told me they're going to deport me to
Cuba. They are afraid of me," he said.

In the document delivered to the embassy, Cubans say they have had to
leave their country "because of the police corruption" there. They also
reject the Cuban interference in Ecuador, manifested in the refusal of
Ecuador to welcome more professionals from the island.

"The press release from the Cuban embassy in Ecuador demonstrated once
again their intent to continue hiding the truth of a people who have
been deceived for more than 50 years," the document added. It also says
that the Cuban people "starve while corrupt leaders engage in politics"
and reminds that there is no democracy in Cuba, but rather a regime in
that imposes orders that are not discussed.

Last week, hundreds of Cubans who were in La Carolina Park in Quito
received permission from the municipality to move to El Arbolito Park,
which since then is known as "the mambí encampment" or "the freedom
encampment."

Members of the X Cuba Movement participated in the demonstration Monday
in solidarity with migrants and others in the Cuban community in Ecuador.

In 2008 when Ecuador ended the visa requirement for Cubans, the country
became the largest springboard to cross the United States and hosted one
of the largest communities of Cuban nationals abroad Island. The
economic crisis facing the country, together with measures to discourage
emigration, has led thousands of Cubans to remain undocumented in the
country, so that they can go to the United States in order to benefit
from the Wet Foot/Dry Foot policy that allows them to legally enter the
country and facilitates their obtaining the residence.

In previous initiatives, more than 5,000 Cubans have delivered lists
with their names to the embassies of Mexico and Canada to allow them to
travel to their countries in order to follow the US border, but so far
both countries have denied this request.

Source: Cubans March Against Raul Castro In Ecuador / 14ymedio, Mario
Penton – Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/cubans-march-against-raul-castro-in-ecuador-14ymedio-mario-penton/