For Alberto Fonseca, the fight against the Government of the Island is won through civic spirit and peaceful actions, appealing to the citizen rights of the Cuban community throughout the world. The creator of the movement The Mambises, which seeks to boycott the regime’s businesses in other parts of the world and on digital platforms, has managed in a few days to focus activism from exile towards some of those economic tentacles.
Los Mambises is a “movement of civic and peaceful struggle” that aims to involve migrant communities outside of Cuba, insists Fonseca. Its mission is to pressure “any entity or business that helps the dictatorship financially” to stop doing so. A few days ago, together with a friend, he managed to temporarily withdraw the Cubita coffee sold by Cimex, from the London Drugs chain of stores, in the city of Vancouver, Canada, where he resides.
The Cuban is brother of Roberto Pérez Fonseca, one of the protesters of the July 11 protests sentenced to 10 years in prison for the crimes of contempt, attack, disorder and instigation to commit a crime and known for tear a photo of Fidel Castro on that journey. “I started in this for the love of my brother, I needed to do something. I was stuck in my bubble, although I did like the political issue but I was focused on my world trying to improve myself,” he explains to 14ymedio the small businessman who has his own clothing brand.
A few days ago, together with a friend, he managed to temporarily withdraw the Cubita coffee sold by Cimex, from the London Drugs chain of stores
“When they touch my brother, it is something that surpasses me and I simply began to look for the best weapons” against the Cuban government, says Fonseca, 36, who also called for a report on Google and TripAdvisor about the score of the Paseo del Prado hotel, located in Havana and belonging to the Gaviota military corporation, managing to lower the rating from 4.8 stars to 1.6.
Fonseca is in contact with mothers of other 11J detainees, so “right now” what occupies his time the most is “the release of all political prisoners.”
A native of San José de las Lajas, in the province of Mayabeque, the Cuban migrant suffered firsthand harassment from the Government and State Security, by refusing to practice one of the policies associated with the Energy Revolution. At that time, he was the manager of a warehouse and opposed low-income families having to pay for the electrical appliances that the authorities delivered to all Cuban homes.
Faced with the activism that he is currently promoting, he insists on “not doing things and going home.” “.
Regarding the actions of Los Mambises, he insisted on moving away from political discussions “that do not lead to any path in the sense that you do not have to ask permission or favor from any politician” to be respected as a community. “We are millions outside of Cuba, we have to act and say to ourselves: ‘We are not going to consume its products from this company, we are going to boycott the internet, we are going to call on other minorities to join our cause'” .
He also proposed that everything that happens in Cuba must be shown “crude, real, humanitarian” and away from political discussions, but highlighting “human rights violations”, that on the island “there are political prisoners, people who cannot leave their homes because of their way of thinking and that they have constant vigilance in front of their homes “.
“We have to show the modern slavery that is lived in Cuba, how much the workers earn and how they live, for example the fishermen, the coffee pickers. These are topics that I touch a lot here with Canadians, everyone understands and everyone joins, whatever the party or ideology “.
He also proposed that everything that happens in Cuba must be shown “crude, real, humanitarian” and away from political discussions, but highlighting “human rights violations.”
Fonseca warns that it would not surprise him if the Cuban regime sends a person to enter an establishment with a bat and “break a bottle of Havana Club or some other product and say that it is the work of Los Mambises to link our movement with terrorism. and violence because this is what they do. “
“They are already sending me messages from profiles saying ‘we are going to invade Cuba’, ‘we are going to fall down on the managers of the establishments’, and this movement is not about that, it is a civic, peaceful movement and we will act as we have up to now: call the managers and make them see that the product they sell helps the dictatorship financially and advocate for the rights we have as clients. “
Among the immediate actions of Los Mambises are the boycott directed at hotel chains with facilities on the Island to lower your scores, in addition to contacting hotel unions in other countries, as well as internet campaigns and marches in front of establishments that sell Nestlé products, a company with a presence in Cuba for decades. In addition, a call will be made to the Toronto community for a demonstration in front of the headquarters in that city of Sherritt International, which exploits nickel and cobalt mines in Moa (Holguín province).
In its social networks, the movement is also requesting to make a request viral to the Paris club so that it “stops financing the Cuban dictatorship” after having forgiven $ 8,500 million “in outstanding loans without demanding any reform.”
First sketch of the rules or regulations to be part of Los Mambises
Of course everything will be debated and will be improved ??? #BoycotDictadura #Freedom for political prisoners pic.twitter.com/oGhmCdYK2P– The mambises (@LosMambises) December 7, 2021
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