This event received much coverage here in Spain. A number of the Cuban support organisations here ran parralel meetings in solidarity with those in Cuba. In the past recriminations from the Cuban police and army have been swift and savage to any meetings of this kind but we understand the large number of people surprised them and have caused a lull in their response.

The rumours are that Castro is losing control of the army because he can no longer reward their loyalty with Western cars and other luxuries. In the past demonstrations like this were always blamed on the USA but the people saw how this was ordinary Cubans rising up.

Our prayers for a free Cuba.

That would be 349 organisation entirely peopled with CIA members or Miami Mafia, and one just funded by them?

A free Cuba is coming. Death to Castro and his Communists

Say 'Viva Cuba' why the bitterness ? The Cuban people are fighting to escape Castro and his bunch of corrupt tossers and all you have to offer is piss taking ?

What is it with Cuba and some people here, just because the country clams to be Socialist (which its not) there are some ready to defend it. This demo took courage to organise and participate in - I suggest you applaud the people who had the guts to do it.

You idiots dont know the first thing about Cuba. U got one dick claiming every1's trying to escape the island....actually from 1985 1% of the population left or tried to leave the country and what a surprise, its exactly the ammount the owned businesses prior to the Revolution (casinos, brothels and all other sickening bussiness associated with the era U.S placed puppet Batista)
2ndly Cubas political system is more democratic than the shit we live in here. People in Cuba are a lot more active in decission making than anywhere in the western world, why dont u look it up. I dont erccoment cia.gov for that info.
3rd Its no secret that the USA has been training and funding groups to overthrow the regime. Had Castro not had the support of the vast majority of Cubans then they would have easily done just that but guess what. for every 1 cia provokateur on the streets protesting against Castro there are 1 million Cubans shouting in favour of him. Just like in Venezuela with Chavez. Despite being limited to what he has due to the sanctions and embargo on Cuba the revolution has made it a 3rd world country with a higher standard of living than any other3rd world country and many developed ones as well. Get clued up 'freedom fighters' coz ur sounding like any ordinary mainstream media organisation.....UNEDUCATED

P.S why dont u focus on freeing your own countries before you look at others.
Britain is a fascist state...cameras, terror bills, wars, propaganda, 3parties with 1 agenda, and o yea dont forget hoodies are forbiden from now on. How does it feel like living in the 4th reich???????

A previous poster was nearly right ( "from 1985 1% of the population left or tried to leave the country" ). From 1985 about 1 to 2 % of the Cuban population left but that percentage doesn't reflect the many, many more who tried. For Cuba today think East Germany in the 1980's. A person who leaves knows there are retributions against his family and in some cases friends. The Cuban forces do all they can to try and stop the people leaving.

The UK Left do themselves no service by supporting Castro and his odius regime with rubbish about Cuban democracy and living standards, Cuba is no more Socialist than the Isle of Wight and just because the Cuban government routingly lies about everything from Literacy to Health Care doesn't make it a fact.

The USA has a shameful record in trying to overthrow Castro but knowing many Cuban people I know which system of government they would prefer.

As a last comment, if Britian is such a Fascist country to live in why is it they are lining up at Calais to come here ?

Yes, I read these people met, and got played a message of support by that epitomy of 'democracy', George W.Bush on the US ambassadors laptop computer.

It kind of shows you who's behind the opposition. I notice George didn't play any messages of support to the people fighting and dying for their freedom in Uzbekistan.

Back in the 3rd reich the vast majority of germans (non jewish non gay non black that is) wanted to stay and indeed stayed. THey had the right to leave but they didnt. Same with Mussolinis Italy. I gues that made them non fascist as well right? The term fascist isnt used for countries where a large number of people try to leave. Its used for teh country's actions and beliefs. Britains politics is at the moment racist (look at the people held at belmarsh and tell me what race they are even though most if not all are innocent) authorotarian (cameras at every corner, anti terror laws which have kept people in prison for even daring to speak their minds like a greek student who dared to call britain and the US terrorists over a chat site and was jailed for 6 months without any rights being read and any info given to his family) Violent (yugoslavia 99, afghanistan 2001, Iraq 2003 more to come surely) repressive i think hoodies are allowed in cuba. undemocratic (1 in 50 british people protesten against the war and the majority in general was against it yet the govt did not listen) Deceiving (even if Iraq had wmd's thats no cause for war coz iraq has never threatened to attack or has attacked the UK/US + these weapons were sold to Iraq by the UK US but it turns out he didnt have them anyway and of course lets not forget the whole tuition fee joke)And finally (i could say lots more but its tiring) The country is run by media groups out to fight for their interests and push their agenda iding the obvious truth from the people. Unless ur dumb enough to think Murdoch and co are even near to being unbiased. Castro gave his life to liberate Cuba and for that the cubans are grateful to him. He's a national hero there and hasnt even allowed 1 statue of him to be built. As for socialism if u ever listened to him he is the first to say Cuba is not socialist but is fighting for it. Its difficult to implement a complete socialist economy when you're surrounded by capitalist nations who have secluded you from the rest of the world. Had cuba been self sufficient like the USA id say fine but its a tiny island with not much to offer so you critics are in reality not thinking anything through. THe USA has tried to poison him, invade the island on 2-3 occassions yet they lost. Someone without popular support would not have survived all that, especially when to top it all of he lives 90 miles from the coast of Florida.
il say it again
GET A CLUE or stick with your dumbass Bush type arguments.

Yeah you're right Hermes if George Bush supports democracy in Cuba then we should abandon the Cuban people and let them live under a totalitarian repressive regime. Thanks for putting me straight there.

Of course you could argue that if you were a small but growing movement seeking democratic freedom in a Communist island just off the coast of the USA words of support from the most powerful man in the world might be welcome. But hey what do I know

Hahaha - it sounds like the same groups who supported the attempted military coup by the business elite in Venezuela. Remember, during that Coup the USA greeted the coming of a military dictatorship by hailing it as the coming of a democracy!!! I don't think you guys even know what democracy means! Your idea of democracy is total market freedom and freedom to vote for Capitalist A over Capitalist B. Real democracy is being INVOLVED in the decision making, not participating in a spectacle of money and cash backed up by CNN and the BBC.

Now maybe Cuba isn't perfect, but its a damn sight better than the opposition would be. And its a billion times better than those violent ex-pats who reside in Florida and are funded by the criminal killers of the CIA. The fact that Cuba has one of the most ecological food production and distribution programs has not gone unnoticed around the world; nor that Cuba provides more doctors and medical staff to help countries around the world than nuclear weapon waving Britian and the United States. Nor that it has a greater life expectancy than the United States which has a slave empire in the form of its prisons that is on a scale never even imagined by the Greeks, Romans and Plantation Owners of the 17th-19th Centuries.

Go and kiss Georgey Peorgies arse instead of boring me with your pro-capitalist lies. And give your friend Otis a call, I hear he's on trial at the moment for his pro-hunting shenanigans.

I'm sure the people of Cuba living without elections or the right to leave their Socialist Paradise are happy to hear you defend their leader.

I'm sure the people of Cuba living without elections or the right to leave their Socialist Paradise are happy to hear you defend their leader.

When those words of support come from a man who has invaded sovereign countries, been involved in the overthrow and attempted overthrow of democratic regimes ( see Venezuela and Haiti ), then please forgive me for being a bit suspicious. When the meeting is attended by the US ambassador to Cuba, well, can we be forgiven for thinking the CIA may have a hand in this as well.

Compare Cuba to any other Caribbean country where free market capitalism has had it's way, and you'll it's in a far better shape than say, Haiti. No, it is not ideal that Castro is the dictator of Cuba. But perhaps if the US just left Cuba alone for 5 minutes, stopped using the CIA to interfere, stopped funding opposition movements, then opposition would be viewed with less suspicion, and not as simply US stooges. Democratic opposition is a good thing. But I don't see anything democratic about any movement supported and funded by the neighbouring superpower.

Something like 9/11 happens and the USA becomes even more of a police state than it already was. Cuba has a neighbour who openly shows its training camps full of people witht the sole purpose of overthrowing the regime, Cuba has seen the hostilities from every single country in the world which has isolated her. Cuba has been invaded by the spanish, the americans and again after it won true independence for the 1st time in 1959 has had various invasion attempts (bay of pigs and others), cuba has tried to have its leader poisoned on various occasions. Now if the USA had gone through a fraction of that, i feel its safe to say that Hitlers regime would look heavenly compared to what the USA would look like. When theres a real threat of invasion which Cubas known more than any western country, then it is likely that the people who provided the country with true independence will do their best to protect that country. And if u take a look at any pro revolution protest ul see that Castro has more support than any western 'democratic' leader ie he represents more people. Dont give me the repression bull coz a) Cubas army is smaller than keira knightleys ass and b) any violent form of repression would give ol itchy hands bush the excuse the USA has always wanted to invade. So cut the repression shit and stop pretending u know what the cubans want and have a look at what the majority says they want. Every time theres a march about anything in Cuba 3/4 of the population is there. The revolution means everything to them and has taken the country far and fast compared with what it used to be. No where near perfect by any means but a hell of a lot bette than sorry ass Britain and the US.

PS GET THE HELL OUT OF NORTHERN IRELAND, IRAQ, KUWAIT, CYPRUS,GREECE,SCOTLAND, AFGHANISTAN, YUGOSLAVIA, and all other countries u have bases in u hypocritical PRICKS. YOUR HISTORY HAS ALWAYS BEEN ONE OF RAPE MURDER AND INVASIONS SO STOP PREACHING TO A REGIME THATS DONE NONE OF THAT and look at your ridiculous cuntry.