By W.T. Whitney, COUNTERPUNCH
The independence of Mexico and of Cuba, got a big hearing in Mexico City on September 16. On that day in 1810, in Dolores, Mexico, Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo called upon parishioners to join him in rebelling against Spain’s viceregal government. Mexico finally gained independence in 1821. Every year, at 11 PM on September 15, and on September 16, Mexicans and their presidents pay homage to Hidalgo’s iconic Cry of Dolores (Grito de Dolores).
This year, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, commemorating that important day, had a surprising guest. Cuba’s president Miguel Díaz-Canel was at his side and they both spoke. Shared goals and strong friendship were evident. The extraordinary encounter may portend new substance and heightened commitment for efforts to free Cuba, at long last, from aggressive U.S. interference with Cuba’s sovereignty.
The Cuban president later joined president López Obrador in reviewing Mexican armed forces assembled in the Zocalo, Mexico City’s central plaza. No visiting foreign president had ever done so.
Excerpts of their remarks appear below. What they actually said may more readily communicate concepts, reasoning, convictions, and deep feelings than would have been the case with summarization. The object here is to enhance appreciation of the nature and strength of the two nations’ friendship now and into the future.
Recent Posts
Will COP28 Address Militarism’s Effect On The Climate?
Take Action Now As the earth approaches climate tipping points, world leaders must consider the world’s largest institutional emitter of fossil…
Call It Genocide, Pay The Price
Take Action Now Private colleges and employers can, and do, ignore the right to speak freely. By Bill Lueders, The Progressive A common…
U.S. Says If CIA-Backed Embassy Security Opened Phones Of Assange Visitors, It Was Constitutional
Take Action Now “There are several cases,” U.S. Attorney Jean-David Barnea argued, “that say that by giving your phone to someone else, you have…
Mehdi Hasan Is Fired From MSNBC After Reports Critical Of Israel
Take Action Now “Mehdi Hasan’s program has felt like an oasis on air and more needed than ever,” said one Palestinian American…