One million Cubans took to streets and squares around the country on Wednesday in a state-organised protest against the policies of US President George Bush.
Cuban leader Fidel Castro called for the demonstrations to mark the conclusion of an assembly of representatives from major Cuban organisations that proclaimed Cuban socialism ”inviolable”.
Castro reportedly was angered by a May 20 speech by Bush in which he promised an end to the US trade embargo against Cuba if the island nation allowed free elections and an introduction of open markets.
Weekly demonstrations have been a fixture of Cuban life since the May 20 address.
Prior to the Bush speech, former US president Jimmy Carter visited Cuba, where he called on the US to lift the embargo without conditions. – Sapa-DPA