Hundreds of Cubans demonstrated on Sunday in their cars and bikes on the Havana Corniche overlooking the sea, calling for the lifting of the US blockade imposed on the island since 1962.
The demonstrators roamed a distance of about 7 kilometers, amid the roar of trumpets and chants, along the Corniche, "Malecon", adjacent to the sea in the Cuban capital, which is usually crowded with foreign tourists, fishermen and pedestrians, but it is currently deserted due to the epidemic crisis.
"This blockade is inhuman and I think similar campaigns have taken place in different countries. We, as Cubans, have a duty to support this campaign," said Anna Fidelia Cuero, a former world champion and two Olympic medals in the 800-meter race.
The United States and Cuba have been rivals since the 1959 revolution in Havana, but under the leadership of Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro, they achieved a historic rapprochement, which enabled the restoration of diplomatic relations in 2015.
But after Donald Trump arrived at the White House in 2017, the United States tightened the embargo, based on accusations of human rights violations in Cuba and Havana´s support for the Venezuelan government.
The hope for easing tensions has gradually faded since Joe Biden´s arrival in the White House, as it seems that Cuba is not one of the priorities of the new US administration.
"The blockade is not only criminal, illegal, immoral, and blatantly violating international law during the epidemic crisis, (but) its genocidal character is reinforced," Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez told the press during the demonstration.
Cuba, with a population of 11.2 million, has recorded more than 72,000 cases of Coronavirus, including 415 deaths, since the beginning of the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic.
