We all knew the communist Castro dictatorship would deny a permit to carry out a peaceful protest in Cuba, but organizers say the march will nevertheless go on.
Via Diario de Cuba (my translation):
Despite the regime’s prohibition, there will be a march on November 15, Archipelago announces
The online civil society group Archipelago announced on Tuesday that despite the Cuban regime’s refusal to allow the Civic March for Change planned for November 15, the march will go on.
“The regime’s response once again demonstrates that the rule of law does not exist in Cuba that they are not willing to respect not even their own constitution, and that they violate the human rights of Cubans,” said the group in a short statement on their Facebook page.
“The regime’s response has left the president of the Supreme Court, who said that in Cuba the right to protest would be respected, looking ridiculous. The regime’s response is full of falsehoods, defamations, and lies. The response by the regime is in itself a crime,” the group stated.
“On November 15 our personal decision will be to march civically and peacefully for our rights. In the face of authoritarianism, we will respond civically,” the declaration concluded.
The reaction came hours after authorities in seven provinces simultaneously responded to the notification of the protest with almost identical statements that were issued to local activists. The response called the peaceful protest march an “action against the government,” “destabilizing,” and therefore, “illegal.”
Continue reading (in Spanish) HERE.
This is a classic example of how communism works: the constitution technically allows the march, just as it allowed what Oswaldo Payá did with collecting signatures for his petition, but no matter what is “allowed,” it will get nowhere if it does not suit the regime. All “rights” recognized by the constitution are subordinate to the interests of the system and the maintenance of the status quo, so any “right” can be denied or overridden in favor of what amounts to the prime directive: the “irrevocability” of the totalitarian regime.