“Blood That Cannot Be Negotiated” – Folha de S. Paulo, March 17, 1974
by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira
Our public is well informed about the ongoing détente between the nations of the Americas and Cuba. Paradoxically, for some time now, nothing has been said about the irreligion, despotism, and misery to which the Cuban people are subjected. Furthermore, the same public knows nothing about the afflictions this détente imposes on anti-Castro supporters in Cuba or in exile.
Will this détente alleviate or worsen the suffering of Cubans? Who could be insensitive to this question?
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If Fidel Castro wanted to make the current reality in Cuba known, all he would have to do is convene an international meeting of journalists of all persuasions, to whom he could show the results of his regime and administration. Of course, he does not do so, and he has very good reasons for it.
In the absence of information, the most reliable testimony about Cuba comes from Cuban exiles, who have been scattered across the islands and the Caribbean coast due to persecution. In Miami, they form a considerable concentration in terms of both numbers and influence. They also have smaller groups in other US cities.
Naturally, they live by listening to all the echoes from their beloved island: news filtered through the world press, information from international figures permitted to land in Cuba, and, more modestly, news brought by refugees who manage to escape.
More than anyone else in the world, these Cubans would be interested in a détente that would weaken the ill-fated regime and allow them to return to their homeland. However, they—and they alone in the world—stage impressive protests against détente, especially in Miami, the Cuban capital of exile.
This clearly shows how bad the news about Cuba is.
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According to Miami’s Diario Las Américas (February 19), the major newspaper for Cubans in exile, about 15,000 Cubans recently paraded in that city against any form of coexistence with Fidel Castro. After marching through 30 central blocks, the demonstrators arrived at Bayfront Park, where more than 10,000 compatriots were waiting. Standing next to a large crucifix, Father Ramón O’Farril addressed them, and I quote excerpts from his remarks:
“In this painful march, we climb the slope of Calvary to ask You, O Christ Jesus, to give us the strength to stand tall and to defend with dignity the land You have given us as our homeland. Together with those who fall every day fighting for the reign of Your love, justice, and freedom … in the face of betrayal, we proclaim: together we will triumph; scattered, we will disappear. Let everyone shout: better dead than red!”
At the same time, Miami’s mayor and city council sent Nixon a message urging him to continue the boycott of Cuba.
A petition signed by 50,000 Cubans in Miami was sent to Nixon, urging him not to pursue détente with Castro.
In San Juan, Puerto Rico, a congress of 65 Cuban organizations from the Caribbean launched a protest campaign against the resumption of relations with Castro. Messages were sent to all the presidents and foreign ministers in the Americas, and a special appeal was addressed to Nixon.
Forty mothers of young people executed by Castro sent telegrams to all presidents in the Americas, urging them not to initiate “openings” with the unfortunate island and not to forget “the blood shed by thousands of our martyrs; that blood cannot be negotiated.”
