arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)
|
Castro Lauds Anti-Globalization Protests by Castro Tuesday August 07, 2001 at 12:34 AM |
HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuban President Fidel Castro (news - web sites) on Sunday praised the large protests at meetings of world leaders in recent years and joked the heads of rich nations may soon have to meet on the International Space Station (news - web sites) to avoid them.
Castro, in a short but militant speech to 600 young people who will attend an international youth and student gathering next week in Algeria, urged them to fan the flames of world rebellion against ``imperialism,'' which he said threatened humanity's survival.
The veteran revolutionary has been condemning wealthy nations' policies toward poor countries since coming to power 42 years ago.
Demonstrations at the Group of Eight summit in Italy last month left one protester dead and hundreds of people injured and arrested. It was the latest in a series of sometimes violent demonstrations around the world protesting globalization.
Castro said the demonstrations proved ``the growing consciousness of thousands and thousands of leaders and representatives of the whole world'' that ``imperialism'' was leading humanity to the brink of extinction, and the awakening of ``left and progressive forces after the terrible blow'' they suffered with the collapse of the Soviet Union a decade ago.
During Sunday night's televised speech from Havana's Convention Palace, Castro ridiculed G8 leaders for planning to hold the 2002 summit in Canada's mountains to avoid protests, saying someday the meetings might be held on the International Space Station.
The G8 is made up of the seven leading industrialized nations -- Canada, France, the United States, Italy, Japan, Britain and Germany -- as well as Russia.
The speech was the latest in over a dozen public appearances by Castro since he suffered a brief fainting spell six weeks ago at a political rally.
``Open the eyes of the people, unmask the false ones and their lies and hypocrisy, tell the truth to the people,'' Castro urged Cuba's delegation to the 15th World Youth and Student Festival, which includes over 200 students from 56 countries studying in Cuba.
The left-leaning festivals began some 50 years ago under the auspices of the former Soviet Union, and there was speculation they might disappear along with European communism.
Cuba and some other nations have worked hard to continue the youth gatherings, with Cuba hosting the 14th festival in 1997.