For the thirty-fourth time, condemnation of the United States blockade against Cuba was heard loud and clear at the UN General Assembly, this time against a backdrop of an unprecedented tightening of that unilaterally imposed blockade.

From October 24 to 31, organized by the National Network on Cuba, the "Global Week of Action Against the US Genocide in Cuba" took place.

Marches in New York City, interactive presentations at the Chicago Cultural Center (October 24), at the First Baptist Church of Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts (October 26), and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston on October 27 were all part of the actions in support of the largest of the Antilles.

Meanwhile, reporting from Miami, activist Pete Seidman noted that about fifty people protested against the blockade at the "Torch of Friendship" monument in downtown Miami, Florida.

The demonstration on October 28—the day of the UN General Assembly vote on the Cuban resolution demanding an end to the blockade—highlighted that many people in Miami are aligned with the majority of the international community in Cuba's just demand.

Built in 1960, the "Torch" was intended to pay tribute to Miami's role as a gateway to the United States for immigrants, particularly Cubans who arrived following the triumph of the Revolution.

A right-wing Cuban organization advocating for the blockade threatened to hold a counter-protest at the same location, starting half an hour earlier. However, the Miami Coalition to End the US Blockade Against Cuba already possessed the permit to occupy the space, Seidman noted.

Radio Miami also covered a demonstration at Chicago's Federal Plaza denouncing the US government's attempts to suffocate the Cuban people.

"We are living in a critical moment in our history, where we witness acts of terrorism and interventionism throughout Latin America, sowing terror, war, hunger, and chaos in the name of democracy," stated Byron Sigcho-López, Chicago 25th Ward Alderman, during his address at the event.

He emphasized that organizing communities and speaking the truth about the blockade remains the most urgent task. Sigcho-López was the primary sponsor of the Chicago resolution demanding Cuba's removal from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, an initiative unanimously passed by the Chicago City Council in July of last year.

Furthermore, trade unionists and political activists in the Los Angeles area—convened by Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU)—gathered to denounce the unilateral siege imposed on the Cuban people for over six and a half decades.

Activist Mark Friedman commented from California on the strong turnout at the meeting.

"I want you to understand something with absolute clarity: the US fuel blockade is not an abstract political debate," affirmed Savannah Boyd, representing CodePink and All Power Books. "It is not a diplomatic chess move. It is a weapon aimed directly at the heart of the Cuban people. This violent blockade is the longest and most comprehensive in modern history."

Boyd pointed out that constant blackouts severely impact schools, hospitals, and virtually every aspect of daily life on the island, warning that the blockade "is not 'collateral damage'; it is the deliberate, calculated imposition of suffering on human beings."

On October 28, the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favor of the Cuban resolution calling for an end to the US blockade against Cuba. This year, those 130 votes carry extraordinary significance as they were achieved amidst intense diplomatic pressure aimed at undermining historical support for the island's demand.