The United States has been strangling Cuba for decades but the Donald Trump administration has really ramped up its imperialist aggression. He has blocked all oil shipments to the small island state, signing Executive Order 14380 on January 29, which imposed additional tariffs on imports into the US from any country that directly or indirectly supplies oil to Cuba.

The Australia-Cuba Friendship Society (ACFS) is promoting two emergency aid campaigns: The Nuestra América Convoy initiated by the Progressive International and CodePink, and the Let Cuba Live! campaign to donate solar panels and generators for Cuban hospitals.

ACFS spokesperson Lia Weitzel told Green Left on March 21: “Cuba is in desperate need of our solidarity and it’s time for us to return it to Cuba, who has been offering solidarity with countries all around the world since the revolution started.

“The Nuestra América Convoy to Cuba is delivering aid by land, sea, and air and the first groups of that convoy arrived yesterday and today.

“CodePink had a plane load of people arriving with thousands of pounds of aid just this morning, as part of the Nuestra América Convoy. So, that’s very exciting and we encourage our members to donate to that initiative to get as much aid there as possible.”

She said ACFS is also supporting an initiative to get solar panels to Cuba, which “we hope will have a lasting impact and energy in Cuba where they have plenty of sun”.

Rapid shift to solar energy

While there are reports that the proportion........

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