Ask yourself: What crime did they commit? Are they blocking a street? Are they throwing stones?

Cuban women arrested

Incidentally, the Cuban official media have a description of this incident today:

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YESTERDAY morning a small number of mercenary elements attempted to carry out a brazen, shameless provocation in the area of Plaza de la Revolución.

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So, now that I have explained, take a look at the video.

By the way, the women who effect the arrest are "female troops from the Ministry of the Interior".

Canada is engaged in wars of aggression. Canada is engaged in secret SPP meetings in which ITS OWN CITIZENS are exempt. These meeting have to do with our very livelihood, yet the MSN and "our" leaders have failed to tell us what the hell is being done in our name. Canada allows it;s people to be tried by the US (see Marc Emery). Canada allows people to sit behind bars for years upon years, despite evidence that they are not guilty simply because they will not admit to a crime they did not commit.

Why would they pile on?

I did watch the video, hard to believe that that passes as news eh? A bunch of women have a sit in and then get bussed back home. I wish sit-ins in Canada could make the news!

[ 23 April 2008: Message edited by: Le Téléspectateur ]

Do you oppose mistreatment of protesters in Canada and in Cuba, or just in Canada, or are you
"ni chicha ni limona"?

As for me, of course I have often worked on behalf of homeless people and other protesters.

However, unjust arrests of the type you are talking about are common throughout the world, and as far as arrests are concerned, that was pretty tame, however it might be construed as an infringement of the right of free speech and assembly.

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Directly? No.

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Oh, now you have.

Well, good for you. Police should never arrest people protesting legitimately.

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Originally posted by jeff house:

Oh, now you have.

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No. Not in the sense that I unlawfully interupted the police physically. But yes, in terms of a social intervention.

I guess you were too busy frothing at the mouth to see that my post indicated that I thought the arrest was an infringement of the right of free speech and assembly.

[ 23 April 2008: Message edited by: Cueball ]

The problem in Cuba is that there is repression of free speech by legitimate dissidents, but also people who really are imperialist provocateurs (I doubt this is the case here). And the US war on Cuba is not a fabrication by the Castro and post-Castro government to maintain its hold on power - it is very real. That is why so many Latin Americans who are most moderate politically and not remotely "Marxists" or "revolutionaries" stand up for Cuba against the Yanquis.

Disclaimer - I can't view the video as I have a slow internet connection. But I'll try to find out more from human rights associations.

These women received support and encouragement in this publicity stunt from fascist US Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who is on record as calling for the assassination of Fidel Castro.

And contrary to the OP they were not "arrested" - none of them were charged with any offence - but they were removed to their homes. I can only dream of similar treatment next time I get arrested at a demo.

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A few days ago, these counterrevolutionaries had obtained the support of representatives of the anti-Cuban mafia, receiving a call from Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen who, with a clearly interventionist purpose, encouraged actions by these miniscule groups in order to justify the funding granted by the U.S. government.

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I'm not sure how many countries, subjected to constant threat and subversion from a nearby superpower over many decades, would act with comparable restraint .

I watched the video. The women did not appear to be in any way frightened. That seems to me to be significant.

[ 23 April 2008: Message edited by: RosaL ]

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... admitted that on Apr. 18 the women were meeting in her house when they received a phone call from Cuban-American Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who Granma accused of encouraging "actions by these tiny groups as a justification for receiving financing" from Washington.

"But I want to clarify again that no one gives us instructions; we are independent, and all we are calling for is the release of the political prisoners," said the Women in White spokeswoman, who also rejected allegations that she was "in the pay" of the United States.

"What we receive comes from Cubans in exile, as assistance to help support our prisoners," she said.

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Further,

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Granma reported that the participants in the day-long "Cuban Democracy Roundtable" conference, which was attended by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutiérrez, agreed that staunch support for dissidents is the way to foment democratic change in Cuba, and that the most important thing is for opponents on the island not to feel isolated and alone in their struggle.

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According to Capitalist-run media conglomerate Reuters,

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State-run television showed photos of the women meeting with Michael Parmly, the head of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, which a commentator called "the headquarters of the Cuban counterrevolution."

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The same newscast

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played excerpts of a telephone conference call the women held on Friday with U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Florida Republican who is a staunch anti-Castro voice in Congress.

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OK, I have to stop doing this and do some work!

[ 23 April 2008: Message edited by: RosaL ]

Add to this the fact that the US routinely attempts to pay Cubans to be critical of the government, and you have some real problems.