Demonstrations have spread across Italy following the arrival of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
With various mobilizations in several Italian cities, the protests that began yesterday against the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio continue today, alongside demonstrations in defense of Cuba, according to a recent statement.
Among the main actions planned is a massive demonstration at 3:00 p.m. local time in the Plaza of the Apostles (Piazza dei Santi Apostoli), a central point in Rome. The event was convened by the Network of Communists and the left-wing youth organizations Cambiare Rotta and Alternative Student Opposition (OSA), among other forces.
This manifestation, along with those taking place today throughout the peninsula, follows rallies held last Thursday in more than 50 Italian cities featuring slogans such as "Rubio out of Rome!" and "Cuba is not alone!" according to news reports.
An editorial published on the digital site of the newspaper Il Faro di Roma notes states that "these are not symbolic or ritual protests: the demonstrations express a forceful political accusation against one of the main protagonists of the U.S. imperialist strategy."
The presence of Rubio in Italy "triggered an extraordinary wave of popular and student protests, and from Rome to Naples, from Bologna to Turin, from Milan to Palermo, thousands of students took to the streets carrying Cuban and Palestinian flags," according to the text signed by economist Luciano Vasapollo.
Vasapollo, who is also a leader of the Network of Communists and co-founder of the Italian chapter of the Network of Intellectuals and Artists in Defense of Humanity (REDH), expressed that these gatherings show the enduring relevance of the revolutionary process, which he claims is greater today than ever.
The cause of Cuba and the defense of its people —who are victims of the criminal economic, commercial, and financial blockade by the United States and face the threat of military aggression— "generates the international solidarity of the people, which is what is filling the streets of Italy today," Vasapollo asserted.
"A clear verdict was expressed: Rubio is complicit in the genocide in Gaza, co-responsible for the war escalation in the Middle East, for the criminal attack against Venezuela on January 3, and a promoter of policies of aggression against Cuba and all those peoples who refuse to submit to Washington's interests," he added.
Following his arrival in Rome on May 7, Rubio was received in an audience by Pope Leo XIV and held a meeting with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, who discussed the U.S. blockade against Cuba with the American official.
This Friday, the U.S. Secretary of State will be received by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and will also hold meetings with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense, Antonio Tajani and Guido Crosetto, respectively.
The National Italy-Cuba Friendship Association (Anaic) stated in a letter to Meloni on May 6 that Rubio is a "historical promoter of criminal actions" that violate the human rights of the Caribbean nation's people. The association demanded that the Prime Minister reject U.S. policy toward the island during her meeting with the official. (CubaSí)
