Former
Cuban dictator Fidel Castro exhorts university students
to
'continue the battle' to prevent nuclear war, Sept. 4.
Granma, Cuba
Fidel Castro Warns Against Attack on Iran By 'Imperialists and Israel'
Is the
world hurtling headlong toward a nuclear war? For months, former Cuban dictator
Fidel Castro has been warning that the United States and Israel are planning to
attack Iran - and that as a result of this, a war with untold consequences
would erupt. According to this news item from Cuba's state-run Granma, Castro
warned students of the 'real likelihood that 7 billion human beings would
perish.' [Excerpts were also drawn from state-run Ahora].
'Commandante' Fidel Castro once again took the stage yesterday to warn the world that the U.S. and Israel plan a war that could end civilization. It was his first rally in four years.
Commander-in-Chief Fidel
Castro said today that the great battle to save the world from a nuclear war could
be won, and the right of all human beings to live could be defended. He said the
result of such a war would be total destruction.
Almost 65 years
after his entry into higher education, the Cuban leader returned to the
University of Havana where, as he's said on many occasions and again this
morning, he became a revolutionary and discovered his true destiny. He then called
on all governments and peoples to safeguard peace, life and the future.
The time available to
humanity to wage this battle is incredibly limited, said the first secretary of
the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba. Referring to the real and
imminent danger of another war in the Middle East, he said the global consequences
are unforeseeable and could be catastrophic.
Dressed in olive green, standing
at the foot of the stature of Alma Mater and before an enthusiastic crowd that
filled the historic staircase and surrounding areas, Fidel read his message to college
students from Cuba. It was in part a plea for them to fight those who have
imposed a system on the world that is now threatening the very survival of the
planet and humankind.
"We are here to convince,
persuade and prevent a war that would end hope and to demonstrate that a love
for life is everyone's commitment," said Maydel Gómez Lago, president of
the Cuban Federation of University Students.
"Right up to the end, we
will demand the right to life. We do not want to die in this absurd fashion. We
want to fulfill our dreams," emphasized the young woman, who called on U.S.
President Barack Obama to use his power to prevent a war that would be tragedy
for everyone.
She called on all of the
world's students and academics to join this fight, and said, "We have the
right to fight for our future, and a duty to build it. We still have time. Let
us fight for peace, for it would be unpardonable to do anything less."
Yoerky Sánchez Cuéllar, editor
of Alma Mater Magazine - the voice of Cuban university students - also
spoke, but in verse. He demanded that the current occupant of the White House not
only refuse to pull the trigger, but to insist on the destruction of all
nuclear weapons.
"You must listen to Fidel
… who's not being an alarmist or a doomsayer … but who sees that this world could
go in a second … if peace fails to conquer," reflected the young man who
is also a National Assembly of People’s Power deputy.
"Here we are, Commandante
… here are your youth … who feel grateful to see you … the picture of health … to
hear you every moment … to read your reflections … to understand why you're
concerned … and to have accompanied you on your new missions," he
concluded.
Fidel
Castro began his speech to University of Havana students to address the dangers
facing the human species and the possibility of a nuclear war.
"It is well known, and I
have no choice but to remind you, that we are not living in the age of chivalry, steel swords and muskets shots," said
the Cuban leader, referring to the destructive power of modern weapons of war. "The
time left for humanity to wage this battle is incredibly limited. Over more
than three months of incessant battle, I have tried in my own modest way to reveal
to the world the terrible danger that threatens human life on our planet."
"Peace requires peace
within oneself," he affirmed, and said, "If you want peace, prepare
to change your consciousness."
In his speech, Fidel recalled
that the United States was the first country to use nuclear arms to attack
another nation, when it bombed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in
1945, at the end of the Second World War. He warned of the dimensions of
a modern nuclear conflict, noting that current nuclear armaments are equivalent
of 440,000 times the destructive power of atomic bombs used by the U.S. against
Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Fidel Castro with his son Antonio Castro,
before his speech to
students in Havana, Sept 3.
And he enumerated the weapons
used in the First and Second World Wars, from which the consequences were
considerable.
"The appalling use of
two nuclear arms at the end of the Second War was unimaginable to the world's inhabitants,
but the power of existing weapons is many times greater than those. The very
real possibility that seven billion human beings would perish should compel us to
do everything possible to avoid such a catastrophe."
Near the end of his message
to students, Fidel emphasized that the imperialists and Israel have accused
Iran of pursuing seeking to produce nuclear weapons. "They have no proof,"
he insisted. He added that is isn't a crime to use uranium in scientific research
or for the production of electrical energy.
He recalled that in previous
decades, Israel had bombed uranium research centers in Iraq and Syria, and that
now one of them had abstained when the U.N. Security Council adopted U.N. inspections
for Iranian vessels.
The commander-in-chief cautioned
people not to be confused when the U.S. and Israel repeatedly insist that Iran
is trying to build nuclear weapons. He also noted that Russia's chief diplomat
[Sergei Lavrov], who also spoke with the students, said the issue with Iran cannot
be solved with force and that the right way was for talks - and he called for a
normalization of ties between the U.S. and Iran.
Fidel Castro called on everyone to continue
fighting the battle, and said he was satisfied that he has raised the awareness
of the planet on this issue.
