Natalia Marques / Peoples Dispatch — “Cuba is a sponsor of peace, not terrorism,” Calla Walsh, co-chair of the National Network on Cuba, told Peoples Dispatch in front of the White House Sunday. Solidarity organizations and left-wing groups converged in Washington DC on Sunday, June 25, to demand that US President Biden take Cuba off of the US’s list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. These organizations included the National Network on Cuba, the International People’s Assembly, IFCO/Pastors for Peace, the Peoples Forum, the Palestinian Youth Movement, the ANSWER Coalition, and the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

Demonstrators first gathered at the José de San Martín Monument, a gift from Argentina to the US to honor the Latin American liberator. Organizers noted the significance of the monument to the ideals of democracy and liberty….

The Amazon Labor Union made a strong showing at the rally, coming off the heels of participating in a brigade to Cuba in May. Chris Smalls, who visited the White House when ALU successfully organized the first Amazon union in the country, openly denounced Biden’s policy against Cuba. “I was invited to the White House this past Tuesday, for Juneteenth. I was supposed to be right here on the other side of the wall, celebrating the ending of slavery,” Smalls said. “But I declined that. Matter of fact, I’m here today to let them know… Do not invite me to the White House anymore until you end the blockade!”

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