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SlowwHand
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of The Cooler
Sep 1999
time: 23:28
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Yeah. Let's see how you guys like dealing with him. 
Castro Brothers Lead Protests at EU Embassies
Thu Jun 12, 1:30 PM ET
By Marc Frank
HAVANA (Reuters) - President Fidel Castro and his brother, Raul Castro, led hundreds of thousands of marchers past the Spanish and Italian embassies in Havana on Thursday to protest the European Union's hardening position toward Cuba.
The Cuban government usually reserves its wrath for its longtime ideological foe, the United States  , but has been furious with the EU for taking political measures against the Communist-led island after Havana's massive crackdown on dissents in April.
The 76-year-old Castro, dressed in his traditional military garb and waving a small Cuban flag, led the marchers in Thursday's early morning protest at the Spanish Embassy in the old colonial district of the capital.
On the other side of town, the Cuban leader's younger brother, Raul, defense minister and second in the Cuban hierarchy, led the march at Italy's diplomatic mission in the upscale district of Miramar.
Fidel Castro, in a four-hour television appearance on Wednesday night, blamed Spain and Italy for the 15-member EU's decision last week to end high-level visits to the Caribbean island, reduce cultural exchanges and invite Castro opponents to receptions at its Havana embassies.
Castro singled out Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar in Wednesday night's address, calling him "a little Fuehrer with a mustache and Nazi-fascist ideology."
He also attacked Spain's history as Cuba's former colonial master and said Aznar wanted to lead the EU into an alliance with the United States against Cuba as a key player in U.S. "fascist" plans to dominate the world.
The State Department said this week that Cuba could be on the agenda at a Washington summit with the EU scheduled for later this month.
DAY OFF WORK TO MARCH
The Cuban government gave most workers in Havana and surrounding Havana province the day off with pay on Thursday, and provided transportation for them and students to the marches, broadcast live by the official and only media.
Local authorities estimated more than 1 million people took part.
Youngsters shouted "down with fascism" and "Cuba has to be respected" over loudspeakers, as the marchers passed the embassies with diplomats looking on from inside. 
Relations with the EU, Cuba's largest trading partner, investor and source of tourists, have deteriorated since Cuba imprisoned 75 dissidents for an average of 19 years in April, charging they were working with the United States to undermine the Castro government.
Castro said on Wednesday that Cuban officials would not attend European receptions if dissidents attended, nor invite EU ambassadors to official government events.
"If diplomats' missions are simply to have relations with these mercenaries of the United States (dissidents), really there are more than enough of them," Castro said, in a clear warning some diplomats might be expelled.
The European Union has not commented on Cuba's response to its recent measures, nor Spain on Castro's personal attack on Prime Minister Aznar, though Madrid pointed out Wednesday that the EU measures were adopted unanimously.
The EU helped the island overcome economic crisis in the 1990s after the collapse of Havana's former benefactor, the Soviet Union, even as the United States toughened its decades-old economic embargo on the island.
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Zylka
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Why does the US not now invade Cuba for the whole "unprovoked threatening of its' citizens with nuclear fire" thing a few decades ago? Kennedy's promise died with the Soviet Union, but it doesn't seem that Castro's mistake and totalitarian hell has yet died with him
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Cruddy
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It's nice to see an old man still fit enough to protest.
As to what he's protesting about, I haven't a clue.
Oh yeah, "end high-level visits to the Caribbean island, reduce cultural exchanges and invite Castro opponents to receptions at its Havana embassies. "
Like there was a lot of high level exchange before, cultural visits? And why the hell can't an embassy invite who it wants?
Like I said, I really don't understand what he's protesting about.
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13-06-2003 03:33
to Europe for whatever they are doing to stand up to this petty thug of a dictator!
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