Demonstrations in LA in protest of exclusions in Summit of Americas
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Demonstrators in LA protest against the US exclusion of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela from the Summit of the Americas.
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Demonstrators carried Cuban, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan flags and banners in front of the Los Angeles Convention Center
The Los Angeles Convention Center witnessed Friday protests against the exclusion of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua from the Summit of the Americas that was held in this city.
Answer Coalition Director Brian Becker indicated that "We are here today in front of the Convention Center protesting against the Summit of the Americas and particularly the exclusion of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua."
"It is not really the Summit of the Americas if a large part of that continent and the peoples of Latin America are excluded from the Summit," Becker told Sputnik.
He added that the crowds demand an end to the US blockade on Cuba.
Demonstrators carrying Cuban, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan flags and banners in front of the Los Angeles Convention Center chanted against US President Joe Biden for his decision to exclude the three nations from the Summit, which ultimately led to Mexico's boycott in protest of Washington's decision.
"Stop the U.S. destabilization campaign and media lies," and "End all U.S. sanctions and blockades" were some of the banners raised during the Los Angeles protest.
Argentina, Mexico, & Cuba condemn exclusion
It is noteworthy that Argentine President Alberto Fernandez had criticized the United States for not inviting all American countries to attend the Summit of the Americas.
At the plenary session of the summit, Fernandez said that "I am sorry that everyone, who should have been, could not attend.
He also pointed out that Cuba had been under blockade for more than 60 years while Venezuela was also under serious pressure.
The White House had confirmed that Biden did not invite Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to the ninth version of the summit, which prompted some other leaders to refrain from visiting the summit.
Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador declared on Monday that he would be absent from the regional Summit in protest of the US decision.
In response, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro celebrated the "courage and clarity" of his Mexican counterpart Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador for choosing not to attend the Summit.
Similarly, the Cuban revolutionary government released a statement denouncing its exclusion from the Summit, saying that this exclusion "reflects the US' arrogance."
