The World Federation of Democratic Youth, on behalf of all its member and friendly organizations underlines today more than ever its full support to the struggle taken forward by the Cuban people for the liberation of its Cuban Five Heroes, who are imprisoned in the USA jails for the last 13 years due to their struggle against terrorism.

In our days, in a moment when the world is condemning the terrorist actions of September 11, it is the 13th anniversary of their unfair imprisoning. On this occasion we remind also the 35 years of terrorist attack against Cubana Aviación, the 14 years of the attack in a Cuban hotel that lead to the death of the Italian tourist Fabio Dic Celmo, actions coordinated by the terrorist Luis Posada Carriles that is today walking freely and with total impunity through the streets of Miami. We remind also the 38 years of the coup d’état in Chile that brought death and mourning to the Chilean people, as well as the assassination of Orlando Letelier, both actions conducted by the imperialist government of USA.

In Cuba there has been many terrorist actions done with the support of the imperialist government of USA, such as bombardment or shots against Cuban airports and coastal populations, germ warfare, the attempts to murder Fidel Castro, the frustrated attack to Playa Girón, the theft of the aircraft carrying the innocent young boys of the Cuban national team of fencing and the media aggressions through Radio and TV Marti. The result of all these aggressions throughout half century has been of three thousand deaths and two thousand more with injuries, which are a true proof that the Cuban people is the real victim of terrorism. Throughout the media it is clear the wave of attacks to make of Cuba the Libya of Latin America, but we are sure they won’t be able to do so!

WFDY supports and calls for all its member and friendly organizations to respond to the call done by the Communist Youth Union of Cuba (UJC) and take part in the campaign to demand, from today and until October 6, solidarity with the terrorism victims and to express our solidarity on the 5th day of each month to achieve the release of the Cuban Five!

WFDY was informed about the incident of kidnapping comrade Sajad Salem, the member of the Iraqi Democratic Youth Federation and of the General Union of Students of Iraq and also a participant in the 17th World Festival of Youth and Students in South Africa last December.

WFDY demands the immediate release of the kidnapped comrade and expresses its full solidarity with the Iraqi comrades for his full and safe freedom.

We believe that such actions build one more burden in the face of the progress of Iraq, a country directly suffering from occupation and imperialist intervention, and from internal violence harvesting the lives of thousands of people each year. Iraq shall be a free and safe country for all its people.

WFDY has closely followed the huge wave of demonstrations that is sweeping Israel for the last month and half, including a demonstration of 300,000 protestors in Tel-Aviv on August 6th, presented a very clear message: The Israeli working class in general, and young people in particular, revolts against the soaring prices of housing and basic commodities, and no longer agrees to silently abide to a social system that works against the interest of the vast majority, and for the interests of the few.

This social protest movement, characterized by the setting-up of thousands of protest tents throughout the country, is led by young people, and raises demands that address the needs of the general population, but also specifically the needs of youth and students.

The wave of revolutions in the Arab countries, which saw the unleashing of creative energy, against oppression and poverty, and for democracy and social justice, has long hit Europe, where young people took to the streets in Spain, Greece, and elsewhere. Now, we are now witnessing a similar struggle in Israel: Young people, many of which have been dormant and passive, are now taking interest in politics, mobilizing massively on the streets, and are involved in democratically discussing the strategy and tactics of this movement.

WFDY, through its member organization YCLI, emphasizes and supports the following demands:
- Massive government housing projects, including in Arab towns and villages, and subsidization of mortgages.

- Regulations that place a top limit for rents, to stop them from rising. Furthermore, the government should fund more dormitories in universities and colleges, to allow more students to live near where they study.

- Government to intervene and fix prices for basic food commodities, for gas, public transportation, electricity and water, and to pay a monthly cost-of-living allowance to every worker.

- Immediate stop of land confiscations, and a return of lands confiscated in the past. The regional and local outline plans for the Arab towns and villages should allocate areas for development of housing, and building permits shall be given on an equal basis. The brutal policy of house demolitions, which the government is directing not only against Palestinian in the occupied territories, but also against the Palestinian citizens of Israel, most be abolished, including in the so-called “Unrecognized villages” of Bedouin tribes in the south of Israel.

WFDY salutes the struggles of the communist youth and youth in general of Israel towards achieving their just demands.