INCREASE IN THE PRESENCE OF ANTI-GOVERNMENT SIGNS IN CUBA

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INCREASE IN THE PRESENCE OF ANTI-GOVERNMENT SIGNS IN CUBA
By Cuban Democratic Directorate

According to various independent sources in Cuba, there has been a significant increase during the past weeks in the number of anti-government signs promoting the opposition movement. These signs have been placed in public places frequented by citizens of the area, including the State Security headquarters and government entities.

Below is a partial listing of the signs that have appeared throughout Cuba:

5/1/06- Signs with the word “CHANGE” appeared in the town of Caracusey, in Sierra del Escambray, municipality of Fomento, province of Santi Spiritus. They were 50 x 50 cm. And were placed on a hill at the entrance of the territory according to Hugo Araña’s report to www.Cubanet.org.

3/30/06- The human rights activist Miguel Ángel López Herrera was detained by 3 State Security agents on March 23rd near his home in the city of Guantanamo, in the eastern extreme of the island, accused of being the author of signs asking freedom for political prisoners, which appeared in the Policarpo Pineda State Library, as informed by Marielis Castro, delegate of the "Frank País" November 30^th Democratic Party (Roberto Santana Rodríguez / www.cubanet.org)

3/29/06- Various signs of “Down with Fidel!” and “Freedom for the 75!” appeared in the following places: City of Santiago de Cuba and the towns of Palmarito del Cauto, Mella, San Luís, Alto Songo and La Maya according to information given by the independent journalist Virgilio de la O, from Eastern free Press to www.Cubanet.org

3/29/06 – Anti-governmental signs appeared on the street of San Pío between Trinidad and Habana, in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba, stating, “Down with Fidel!” and “Down with the Dictatorship!”, informed the independent journalist Guillermo Espinosa Rodríguez to www.Cubanet.org

3/22/06- Anti-governmental signs appeared in two main streets of the Rodas municipality, province of Cienfuegos, which read, “Viva Bush, Down with Fidel”. Reported by Alejandro Tur Valladares from Jagua Press for www.Cubanet.org

3/22/06- A second sign appeared on front of the house of a man with last name Fleitas in Calle Marti of the municipality of Rodas, province of Cienfuegos, who according to neighbors is a government informant. Said sign read, “Long live the 5th Congress of Bush”, an expression aimed at discrediting the upcoming congress of the Communist Party in Cuba. Reported by Alejandro Tur Valladares from Jagua Press, according to the testimony of Lázaro Roger Aviles for www.Cubanet.org.

3/11/06 –Numerous signs of “Down with Fidel!” and “Fidel Dictator” appeared in two blocks of San Fransisco street in the town of Lawton in Havana. Reported by Jaime Leygonier to www.Cubanet.org

3/6/06- Signs appeared on the Sports School of Bayamo. The signs read, “Amnesty for Political Prisoners”, and “Down F”. According to reports from Ahmend Rodríguez from Youth Without Censorship via telephone to the Cuban Democratic Directorate.

12/1/05- Signs reading: “Down with Fidel,” “Fidel Assasin,” and “Fidel Tyrant” appeared in the town of La Caridad in Camaguey between Domingo Puerta and Cuba and on the street Dolores Betancourt, as well as in the interior of the Pediatric Clinic.

11/29/05 – The city of Santa Clara awakens with a new anti-governmental sign that says, “Down with Fidel” on the Mariano Clemente Prado street known as the Sta. Bárbara path, between Bruno Zayas and Villuendas.

11/27-29/05- In the medical clinic of Prison 1580, signs reading “Medical attention is for all” and “Down with Fidel” appeared for three consecutive days. Various common prisoners were beaten and placed in punishment cells, according to a letter taken out of prison from Juan Rivero Despaigne and read to Ernesto Roque Cintero from UPECI for Cubanet.

11/21/05- Various residents of the municipality of Gibara protest the difficult food situation and place various anti-governmental signs which read: “Down with Fidel” and “We don’t want Fidel with hunger”. Reported by Liannis Meriño Aguilera, Youth without Censorship.

11/15/05- Tour anti-governmental signs appear in Gibara disseminated around the headquarters of the Cuban Association of Craftsmen and Artists with the slogan: “Down with Fidel”- Reported by Liannis Meriño Aguilera, Youth without Censorship.

10/28/05- a dozen anti-governmental signs and graffiti appear in various streets of the Batabano municipality resulting from the problems alter hurricane Wilma. Some of the signs included: “We want to live without power outages,” “Power outages are terrorism” and “Down with Fidel”. Reported by Ernesto Roque Cintero from UPECI for Cubanet.

8/31/05- Anti-governmental signs were disseminated throughout the town of Tulipán, in Cienfuegos, with slogans such as: "No more dictatorship” “Down with Fidel", "Fidel is a dictator," and "In a dictatorship like yours there is no democracy.” The signs were placed at the local police station, "Los Mangos" cafeteria, and the agricultural market. They were written by hand with crayons on cardboard from boxes that contained fans that are distributed to the people. (Luís Miguel González Leiva, Cubanacán Press /www-cubanet.org)

8/22/05- An anti-governmental sign appeared on a wall or a store called La Vizcaína, in the city of Sancti Spíritus, causing alarm among authorities. The sign was approximately 2 meters long and said, “Down with Fidel Castro!” (María de la Caridad Noa González, Villa Blanca Press / www.cubanet.org)

8/1/05- strips of poster board with anti-governmental messages appeared on public benches of the Plaza de la Revolución (Revolution Plaza), known as the Plaza of Acts in Cienfuegos. According to Roberto Pérez, a witness, the strips contained different slogans, such as “Enough is Enough!” and another had an image of a gagged man with the number 46, in allusion to the number of years the totalitarian regime has been in power. (Alejandro Tur Valladares, Cubanacán Press / www.cubanet.org) -

7/8/05- A woman walks through the streets of Bembeta and Horca in Camaguey in broad daylight holding a sign that says, “Down with the power outages.”

7/6/05- A sign that reads “Down with Fidel” and mocking pictures of Fidel Castro distributing pressure cookers appear in San Luís, at the old train station located on Enramada street. Reported by Guillermo Fariñas from Cubanan Press and Rosa Maria Montoya from APLO- Cubanet.

7/2/05- Two anti-governmental signs appeared in the town of Las Tosas, in the outskirts of Santi Spíritus, according to Raimundo Perdigón Brito, provincial delegate of the Frank País 30 of November Democratic Party. The signs in Las Tosas were placed on a billboard on the Las Cañas highway, approximately 80 meters from the vacation home of Fidel Castro, popularly known as “Fidel’s Chalet”, added Perdigón. According to the source, one of the signs read “Fidel: Assasin” while the other read “Fidel turn on the lights.” Reported by Guillermo Fariñas from Cubanan Press and Rosa Maria Montoya from APLO- Cubanet.

6/20/05- Sign painters and artists from Villa Clara are being cited by State Security since May 20th, according to Guillermo Fariñas, due to caricatures that appeared on walls throughout Caibarién, Camajuaní, Santa Clara and Manajanabo, depicting a pressure cooker with a cable connected to Fidel’s posterior. (Niurvys Díaz Remond, Cubanacán Press / www.cubanet.org) -

6/8/05) - Reappearance of anti-governmental signs in the city of Santa Clara, as informed by Julio César Montes Nerey, resident of the town of Sub Planta. Montes explained that signs appeared on one of the walls of the cemetery in the provincial capital stating, “Down with Fidel” and “We want Light!” He says that communal workers diligently tried to cover them up before they were discovered by popular curiosity. (Niurvys Díaz Remond, Cubanacán Press / www.cubanet.org

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