Solidarity with Cuba: What are the Actos de Repudio?
Berta Artunez from central Cuba tells me about the actos de repudio incident – it is a form of repression regarding the opponents when this organized band of a tenfold or a few bandits arrive to the person’s home, who is not afraid to say or think differently than it is allowed, and then insults him, writes some kind of lousy slogan on the wall, steals, and hits him – horrendous things happen. Well, Berta Artunez’s friend experienced the same and after he got beaten up, returned after two hours, and saw something which he never in his life would expect. He saw his neighbors who were scrapping off bits of soap, in which is in deficit supply in Cuba, and were throwing them into a bucket, and later, were washing off the slogans on the walls of the house which were written by the organized government bandits. One of the repeated slogans was “Long live Fidel!” These people were washing off this slogan with extraordinary inner joy and a conviction that suddenly here they can show their neighborly solidarity. They can make up for the many years of fear and indifference that can pierce through an atmosphere of danger into a community atmosphere. It was a new experience – also new for those who have been observing Cuba for years.
