48th Anniversary of Terrorist Bombing of Cuban Airliner
October 6, 1976

Heinous Act for Which the U.S. Must Be Held Accountable

Every year across Cuba, activities are held to commemorate and demand justice for victims of the U.S.-backed terrorist attack on Air Cubana Flight 455.

This October 6 marks the 48th anniversary of the bombing of Air Cubana Flight 455 by U.S.-backed anti-Cuba terrorists. This heinous act of terrorism was one of many carried out against Cuba with U.S. backing from the 1960s to the 1990s and since then. In 2010, Cuba began to commemorate this date as the “Victims of State Terrorism Day.” On this day, Cuba commemorates its 3,478 citizens who have died and 2,099 who have been permanently disabled by acts of terrorism, a total of 5,577 victims. These figures do not include victims from other countries, including Canada, killed or injured during terrorist attacks aimed at Cuba.

On this solemn occasion, the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) sends deepest condolences to the Cuban people and all victims of these attacks. It stands with the Cuban people and their revolution in opposing terrorism, the use of force as well as “coercive diplomacy” to sort out differences and problems between nations and peoples. It pledges to continue working to support friendly relations between all countries based on mutual respect and benefit and the upholding of the rule of international law as established by the UN Charter.

On this occasion, CPC(M-L) reiterates its condemnation of the U.S. blockade of Cuba, which is both illegal and internationally condemned. The blockade profoundly violates the human rights of the Cuban people and is carried out with the same vicious aim of causing death and destruction as the bombing of Air Cubana Flight 455. CPC(M-L) also condemns the U.S. government for keeping Cuba on its spurious “state sponsors of terrorism” list, citing Cuba’s support for the Venezuelan people and their affirmation of their right to be through the Bolivarian Revolution as support for “terrorism.” It calls on everyone to demand that the U.S. take Cuba off this list now.

The U.S. acts against Cuba and its constant instigation of terrorist attacks shows who is the real terrorist in the world today. CPC(M-L) denounces the acts of terrorism against Cuba and also all attempts by the Government of Canada to impugn human rights in Cuba to cover up who are the abusers of human rights and conciliate with the U.S. blockade of Cuba. CPC(M-L) also condemns the actions of hooligan elements in Canada and their benefactors from Miami who do their best to incite social violence in Cuba and then when Cuba defends peace and acts according to its rule of law, they spread smear campaigns and get Canadian media to join them.

Today these forces, having failed in their mission of achieving regime change, are making more frenetic attempts to stir counterrevolutionary rebellion within Cuba and to bring pressure against it from abroad, using the difficulties the people face as a result of the U.S. blockade to incite opposition to the government. Allegedly peaceful protestors are incited, funded and used by the U.S. to create disturbances which do not have a base amongst the people and do not represent an actual political movement against the government.

CPC(M-L) calls on Canadians to hold the U.S. government responsible for all these acts of counterrevolution and terrorism. Canadians should also call on Canada and its media, academics and pundits to disassociate themselves with the acts of hooliganism, terrorism and violence against Cuba which they defend in the name of upholding human rights. Canada should stop condoning these attacks by claiming they are political when nothing but filthy trash talk comes out of the mouths of the allegedly peaceful protestors – both those in Cuba and those of an anti-Cuba clique in Canada. The nonsense that Cuba is totalitarian and authoritarian while the U.S., Canada and others are democratic should stop. It is to divert attention away from who is responsible for the violence in Cuba and to undermine the opposition to the U.S. blockade of Cuba and support for Cuba which is widespread in Canada. Canada should also take action against the use of Canadian territory for purposes of enforcing the illegal blockade and for spreading calumnies against Cuba.

For the U.S. to tighten the blockade at this time as well as its listing of Cuba as a state which sponsors terrorism, is for purposes of inciting violence in the hopes of achieving regime change. The fact that it considers the people of Cuba dispensable is ample proof of what U.S. democracy and human rights stand for. The Cuban people must be allowed to solve their problems on their own without outside interference or threats, something they are more than capable of doing.

The anniversary of the bombing of Air Cubana Flight 455 is a timely reminder to Canadians and Quebeckers of the need to end Canada’s appeasement of U.S. imperialism and state terrorism and ensure that Canada is a zone for peace, with its own independent foreign policy that upholds the rule of international law. This includes standing up for Cuba’s right to be, free from outside interference, terrorism and all forms of aggression, including the unjust U.S. blockade.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel visits monument in Barbados to the victims of the U.S.-backed terrorist attack on Air Cubana Flight 455, December 6, 2022.