Peter Mertens in 2020 - pvdaptb, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Speech by Peter Mertens at the Opening Session of the 6th International Conference for World Balance, translated from the Spanish (Peter Mertens led the Workers' Party of Belgium from 2008 to 2021 and has served as a member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives since 2019, and as a municipal councilor in Antwerp since 2013.)
On behalf of the PVDA-PTB, the Workers' Party of Belgium, I would like to thank the organizers of the 6th International Conference “Por el Equilibrio del Mundo” (“For World Balance”) and the Communist Party of Cuba for hosting this important event in Havana.
We need this conference on World Balance, especially at a time when the whole world is turned upside down. Everything is turned upside down by capitalism, everything is subverted, including our language. They are reversing democracy and terrorism, peace and war, freedom and occupation.
Let's talk about Palestine. Some say: 'there is a war in Palestine'. No, there is no war, there is an illegal occupation and there is genocide. Some say, 'there is an ongoing Israeli genocide.' No, there is no 'Israeli genocide', there is an 'American-Israeli genocide, with the support of some European states'. Palestine should be free, free of terror, free of genocide, free of occupation.
The same people who support the genocide in Gaza are putting Cuba on the list of 'state sponsors of terrorism'. This is amazing! Yes, the world is upside down. Those who are arming and sponsoring genocide are placing Cuba on a list of sponsors of terrorism. Let's be clear: a country that exports teachers, doctors, and human values should not be on that list!
Providing health care for all, which they do not even manage to do in Belgium, providing free education for all, which has not been achieved in Belgium, providing housing for all, that is not terrorism. Terrorism is the forcible imposition of the longest embargo in modern history against a sovereign and proud country. And courage, that is resisting this illegal blockade, as socialist Cuba does. That is the courage we all need.
Two weeks ago, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte came to the European Parliament. And he said that European countries should contribute more to NATO and the military. And then he added, very clearly, that European countries should divert money from pensions, health care and social security to NATO and defence. That is the world turned upside down. Stealing money from basic necessities like health care and pensions to fuel the industry of destruction and death. I am happy to announce that Belgian trade unions are preparing a strike movement against the austerity of the right-wing government. We will continue to fight for a world as it should be, and our struggles are interconnected.
Long live Cuba, Long live Socialism!
Peter Mertens, Havana, January 28, 2025
This work was translated and shared via a License CC-BY-NC
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