11) MONTREAL CARTOON EXHIBIT OF GERARDO HERNANDEZ
By the Comité Fabio Di Celmo pour les 5 of the Table de concertation de solidarité Québec‑Cuba
Over 100 people came to an exhibition/meeting jointly organized on January 24 by the Montreal branch of the CSN (one of the largest Quebec unions) and the Comité Fabio Di Celmo. The goal was to build support for the freedom of the Cuban Five as part of the worldwide effort.
Dominique Daigneault, General Secretary of the Conseil central du Montréal métropolitain (CCMM‑CSN), the sponsor of the event, said that she was moved to see so many people, despite record-breaking close to minus 40 degrees temperatures.
She explained to the standing-room only crowd how the CSN has been supporting Cuba for a long time, and specifically the Cuban Five in the struggle against their unjust imprisonment. The case represents a major injustice, she said, and so justice must be rendered by allowing the truth to be known.
After the meeting, Daigneault signed the letter containing the signatures of close to 150 Quebec personalities who are in favour of the Cuban Five's liberation.
Her introduction was followed by a musical interlude and a screening of the video "The Bird and the Prisoner." American actor Danny Glover outlined Gerardo's incredible outreach to save a newborn orphaned bird that had wandered into his prison. This ongoing action, we saw, won the support of the prison population.
Next to speak was the Consul General of the Republic of Cuba in Montreal, Alain Gonzalez. Through his personal story, he vividly brought to light the terror carried out by the U.S. The Cuban people are accustomed to peace and security, which has on many occasions been fractured by U.S.‑led terrorist actions against Cuba. As a young student, he learned through the experience of these actions, such as the Havana hotel bombings in the late 1990s in which Fabio Di Celmo, an Italian citizen residing in Montreal, was killed.
It is precisely this type of activity that the Cuban Five were intent on stopping by infiltrating terrorist groups in Miami. Alain Gonzalez is now a young diplomat in Montreal. He pointed out the double punishment carried out by U.S. authorities against Gerardo, who, in addition to serving two concurrent life terms plus 15 years, has been forbidden to receive a single visit from his wife, Adriana Pérez.
Montreal writer and journalist Arnold August, representing the Comité Fabio Di Celmo, read a message sent to the gathering by Gerardo Hernandez, in his own name and in the names of Ramon Labanino, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando Gonzalez and René Gonzalez: "Brothers and sisters, Words cannot express how deeply I appreciate the effort ... to make this exhibition a reality in the important city of Montreal. It is my understanding that all the promotion, explanations of my work and even this letter have been translated into French for the very first time.
"It has been humbling to me how many countries these cartoons have been shown in, because they were not made with the idea that someday they would be displayed all together in an art exhibit. As some of you know, I spend a great deal of my time responding to hundreds of solidarity letters and I do this work lacking the material and appropriate conditions of a real artist. I am an art aficionado who draws cartoons out of a necessity to express myself in a certain way. This necessity comes from a desire to send out a message to our people or to express my perspective before different events, such as the birthday of someone we admire or the death of a friend.
"Someone once said that `humour liberates' (and if nobody did say that, I will say it now) and for me it is something that `gets us out' for at least a few moments from behind the walls where we have been unjustly imprisoned for almost 15 years. The Cuban Five have been expressing themselves through humour ‑ in this case ‑ or by painting and poetry in the case of Tony, and ‑ although less known ‑ in the paintings of Fernando and the poetry of Ramon and René.
"On behalf of all of us, I want to thank you for being here today and for the solidarity that it represents in our struggle for justice. We know that the key to our inevitable freedom lives in that solidarity that continues to grow worldwide.
"Hasta La Victoria Siempre!
"Gerardo Hernandez, Victorville Penitentiary, California,
January 20, 2013"
This was greeted by loud applause by the audience, visibly moved by his words. Plasticized copies of the message were presented to the Cuban Consul General and the representatives of the CSN and Comité Fabio Di Celmo.
Arnold August then asked, "What more can we do to further the struggle to free the Cuban Five?" In addition to picket lines in front of the U.S. consulate in Montreal, held on the second Thursday of each month since May 2007, an important activity is being organized in Washington D.C. by the International Committee for the Freedom of the Cuban Five.
These "Days of Action for the Cuban 5" will take place from May 30 to June 5, 2013. The highlight will be a demonstration in front of the White House on June 1 to demand that President Obama use his constitutional right to pardon the Cuban Five and allow them to return home to Cuba and their families.
August, in the name of the Comité, called on all those present to participate in building a delegation from Quebec to go to Washington. After the meeting, many people indicated their interest. The success of a delegation to Washington will be, in part, a direct result of Gerardo's message that touched the soul of the participants. From their cells, the Cuban Five inspire people all over the world, demonstrating their combination of immense courage and sincere humanism.
(The following articles are from the February 15-28, 2013, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)