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Cuban reality exposed in Norway
By Cuban Democratic Directorate

A full audience views the Czech documentary: “The Cuban Spring”

A full audience views the Czech documentary: “The Cuban Spring”

John Suarez from the Cuban Democratic Directorate and Oswaldo Alfonso Valdés, former prisoner of conscience arrested in March 2003, carried out a tour throughout Norway from February 6th through the 11th as guests of Høyre, the Norwegian Conservative party. The activists’ purpose was to inform about the systematic violation of human rights by the dictatorship in Cuba. The events were advertised before hand in the Norwegian media and the first two events were open to the public.

Suarez and Alfonso Valdes on February 6 gave a seminar, “The truth about Cuba and Castro,” at the Scandic Hotel in the city of Trondheim, where they also screened the Czech documentary: “The Cuban Spring.” Former conservative foreign minister the right honorable Jan Petersen, currently a member of parliament, was also on the panel and gave his commentary following the presentations by Suarez and Alfonso Valdes.

Alfonso Valdes explained that upon exiting the hotel, they came across a demonstration protesting the seminar organized by members of the Communist Youth, led by a “not so young” woman who appeared to be Latin American. “The ‘not so young’ woman shouted at us that we were “gusanos” – worms, and “Miami mafia,” and they passed out fliers using the same arguments as those found in Cuban government publications such as Granma,” stated John Suarez.

On Thursday, February 8, in the city of Bergen at the Macumba Social Club, the activists gave another seminar in which over 50 people participated, including several Cubans that live in the area. During the question and answer session, a man in the audience got up and gave a small presentation, again based on Cuban government publications, about the funding and leadership of the Directorio. Furthermore he went on to accuse the entire dissident movement of being an invention of the United States, and the Norwegian government while the conservatives were in power.

“Evidently,” said Alfonso Valdes, “the communists are following us during this tour, but they have been unable to sabotage any of our events. The man also said that John was part of an organization from Miami whose leader is a terrorist. I can tell you that our responses made him look ridiculous and caused the rest of the audience to laugh at his position.  Allon Groth, member of the Conservative Party and an adviser to conservative members of the Foreign Relations Committee also participated on the panel in this event.

The final meeting at the Annual Conference of Hamar and Oppland Conservatives held in Hamar on Friday, February 9, with a presentation before more than 150 conservative party members who viewed the Cuban Spring documentary, listened to John and Osvaldo’s presentations which ended with a sustained standing ovation and later together with President of the 2nd Chamber of the Parliament the right honorable Inge Lønning, member of parliament joined in a question and answer session.

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Directorio Democrático Cubano Cuban Democratic Directorate

 

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