Fifty people gathered on the steps of St Martins in the Fields in Trafalgar Square in London on the evening of Wednesday 9 October to take part in Rock around the Blockade's commemoration of the life and revolutionary legacy of Ernesto Che Guevara who was murdered by CIA-trained Bolivian soldiers 35 years ago.

Banners and placards were held high and the demonstration was lit by torchlight. Chants and speeches rang out from the megaphone across Trafalgar Square to the listening ears of the demonstrators and the passing public and readings from Che's writings were read out. The speaker from Rock around the Blockade gave a brief history of Che Guevara and why the legacy of his work is so important today to those fighting imperialism and fighting for socialism. Che said, 'wherever there is injustice, that is my homeland' and he put this into action by his role in the triumph of the Cuban revolution and his work in Africa and Latin America. He realised that in order to create a world fit for the majority of humanity, in order to build socialism, there was a process needed to create a new human being, one with a revolutionary consciousness capable of taking the struggle forward. Cuba today, still with Che Guevara's thought at the heart of the revolution, stands as tribute to this revolutionary internationalist, building a society based on justice and equality with an educated and empowered population. The speaker from Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! took up this theme and expanded on the incredible achievements of Cuba, a country under siege by the US blockade and imperialism for over 40 years. The comrade spoke of the ongoing advances in Cuba where with the mobilisation of the people, reminiscent of Che Guevara's voluntary labour activities, new schools have been built and new teachers trained so that no primary school child is in a class of more than 20 people. He also spoke of the world that we live in in Britain, with the racist imperialist warmongering Labour government that has taken Britain into more wars since 1997 than the previous conservative government of 18 years. Only socialism can solve the problems facing humanity and to do honour to Che's legacy we must take up this struggle and redouble our efforts. The speaker from the Victory to the Intifada group spoke of Che's significance to the Palestinian people fighting back against racist Zionist Israel and how his face is seen on flags from the Gaza to the West Bank. The intifada represents the uprising of an oppressed people determined to live with dignity in the land that they have lived on for generations.

Rock around the Blockade was also honoured to have speakers from the Colombia Solidarity Campaign (Col Sol C), The Africa Liberation Support Campaign (ALISC), and the People's movement of the Philippines. The speaker from the Col Sol C spoke of the human rights abuses going on in Colombia that are hardly mentioned in the international press: with two regions under official military rule and army-backed paramilitary death squads continuing their dirty war against the popular and progressive movements with regular and brutal assassinations. The speakers from ALISC spoke of Che Guevara's role in Africa, in Angola, in the Congo and spoke of the current struggle in South Africa involving the Anti-Privatisation Forum uniting campaigns against electricity and water cut-offs, evictions, forced removals of squatter communities and other capitalist attacks on the South African urban working class associated with privatisation. The picket was united in condemning the US imperialist role in the current situation in the Philippines.

There was special mention for the Miami 5, the heroes of the revolution, currently incarcerated in US gaols on false charges of espionage and serving life sentences. The picket chanted loudly for their release and pledged to continue to support their just struggle. The role of Bacardi as sponsors of the US blockade was highlighted and the Boycott Bacardi Campaign continues to make the links between the US government, the Bacardi board of directors and the CIA, who all want to see the Cuban Revolution destroyed. They fear it as an alternative that will destroy imperialism as Cuba shows that it is possible to run society in the interests of all without greed and profit being the driving force.

The event ended with chants of 'Cuban socialism here to stay! We are here to remember Che' and 'Hasta la victoria siempre'. Rock around the Blockade thanks all those who attended the commemoration and looks forward to seeing you all again at our following events.

Long live the revolutionary legacy of Che Guevara!