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<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><B><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt; FONT-FAMILY: Georgia"><SPAN
class=109210115-20052005>A</SPAN>ddress by Fidel Castro Ruz at the opening
of <SPAN class=109210115-20052005>"</SPAN>the great combative people’s
march to oppose terrorism<SPAN class=109210115-20052005>" - </SPAN>May 17,
2005<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
/><o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia"><FONT size=3>Fellow
Cubans:</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia"><FONT size=3>For 137 years, from October
10, 1868 until today, the Cuban people has been fighting for its independence,
first against Spanish colonialism and then against the imperialist, expansionist
policies of US governments.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia"><FONT size=3>During that period, we
achieved full political sovereignty for the first time on January 1, 1959 when,
after sweeping away the bloody tyranny imposed from abroad, the Cuban people
began governing the nation. Since then, this noble and heroic people have not
failed one single day to defend its right to development, justice, peace and
liberty.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia"><FONT size=3>Because of this fair and
unremitting aspiration, our people have been subject to the longest economic war
in history and to a pervasive, ferocious campaign of terrorism which has lasted
more than 45 years.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia"><FONT size=3>One of the first and
bloodiest of such acts was the bombing of the ship <I>La Coubre</I> in the
<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
/><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Havana</st1:place></st1:City> harbor
killing 101 people and wounding hundreds more.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia"><FONT size=3>The April 17, 1961 Bay of
Pigs invasion by a military force, organized, trained and equipped by the US
government, was preceded by a surprise, treacherous air strike dealt by US
bombers, with the Cuban air force insignia painted on them. The invading troops
were brought to <st1:country-region w:st="on">Cuba</st1:country-region>
escorted, guarded and accompanied by US naval and air units and troops, which
would wait for the mercenaries to establish a beachhead and then, with the
complicity of the OAS, support a provisional government that did not even have
the time to take off from a <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Florida</st1:place></st1:State> airport.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia"><FONT size=3>Similarly, from the very
first years of our triumph, armed groups were spread throughout the length and
breadth of our land killing farmers, workers, teachers and literacy teachers,
burning houses and destroying agricultural and industrial facilities. Acts of
sabotage with white phosphorous and explosives were carried out against our
country’s population and economy. Our ports, merchant and fishing ships were
subject to constant attacks. Diplomatic legations and personnel abroad were the
targets of attacks with explosives and firearms. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia"><FONT size=3>Diplomats were killed,
vanished or maimed. Passenger planes were blown up before they took off or in
midair like the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Barbados</st1:place></st1:country-region> airliner on October 6, 1976,
full of passengers whose remains lie beyond recovery on the bottom of the sea,
hundreds of meters deep.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia"><FONT size=3>More than once, diseases
affecting the life of human beings or that of domestic animals and plants
necessary to provide food for the people were introduced into our
country.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia"><FONT size=3>These acts were devised by US
governments and their special services, and perpetrated by individuals trained
by these.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia"><FONT size=3>The most up-to-date and
dramatic conception of terrorism involving sophisticated techniques and
high-powered explosives was created and developed by US governments to destroy
our revolution. Such terrorism has continued relentlessly, both inside and
outside <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Cuba</st1:place></st1:country-region>, for more than four
decades.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia"><FONT size=3>Orlando Bosch and Posada
Carriles, the most bloodthirsty exponents of the imperialists terrorism against
our country, committed dozens of atrocious acts in numerous countries of this
hemisphere, including the territory of the United States. Thousands of Cubans
either lost their lives or were maimed as a result of these cowardly,
loathsome<SUP> </SUP>acts.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia"><FONT size=3>The same <st1:country-region
w:st="on">US</st1:country-region> agencies and services which trained Cuban-born
terrorists also carefully trained, as is common knowledge, those who organized
the brutal attack on <st1:State w:st="on">New York</st1:State>’s <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Twin</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Towers</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> on September 11, 2001 in which some
thousands of Americans lost their lives.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia"><FONT size=3>Posada Carriles, together
with Orlando Bosch, —who was then the boss of the CORU, a CIA-created
organization— was not only involved in destroying the Cubana airliner but for
many years since then has organized dozens of attempts to assassinate the Cuban
Revolution’s top leadership and was behind the numerous bombs that exploded in
Cuban tourist hotels. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia"><FONT size=3>Meanwhile, Orlando Bosch,
apparently a fugitive from US authorities, worked in conjunction with Augusto
Pinochet's repressive forces to kidnap and murder well-known Chileans like
Carlos Prats and Orlando Letelier, and to arrange the disappearance of numerous
anti-fascist fighters in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Chile</st1:place></st1:country-region> as well as the kidnapping and
death of Cuban diplomats. From his prison in <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Venezuela</st1:place></st1:country-region>, he
ordered his hired assassins to execute terrorist plans.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia"><FONT size=3>Such sinister characters
always took orders from US governments and their special services; however, they
have been illegally relieved of all charges and punishment. That is the case of
the pardon granted to Orlando Bosch by President George Bush, sr. Likewise, the
current <st1:country-region w:st="on">US</st1:country-region> President has
tolerated the presence of Posada Carriles on <st1:country-region
w:st="on">US</st1:country-region> soil for weeks in what constitutes a flagrant
violation of that country’s own laws by those with the highest responsibility
for protecting the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> people from terrorist
attacks.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia"><FONT size=3>All of Posada Carriles
terrorist activities, including the bombs in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Havana</st1:place></st1:City> hotels and the assassination plans, were
financed by US governments through the notoriously famous Cuban American
National Foundation, from the time of its inception by Reagan and Bush in 1981.
Never have people behaved with so much dishonesty and
hypocrisy.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia"><FONT size=3>This is not a march against
the people of the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United
States</st1:place></st1:country-region>. As we have said before, and we insist
here today, this is a march against terrorism and in favor of our people’s life
and peace as well as that of our American brothers and sisters in whose ethical
values we trust.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia"><FONT size=3>Down with
terrorism!</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia"><FONT size=3>Down with Nazi doctrines and
methods!</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia"><FONT size=3>Down with
genocide!</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia"><FONT size=3>Long live solidarity,
fraternity and peace among the peoples!</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia"><FONT size=3>Long live the
truth!</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia"><FONT size=3>Let’s go forward, brave
defenders of noble ideas, despising fear and the enormous power of the
adversary, despising dangers; humanity yearns for justice!</FONT></SPAN></P>
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