London, October 29 (RHC) -- British academic Helen Yaffe called on the international community on Thursday to redouble the fight against the U.S. blockade against Cuba and to denounce in particular its extraterritorial scope.

If the world were to oppose the extraterritorial scope of the blockade against Cuba more forcefully, it would be significantly weakened. That is what we have to demand, Yaffe stated during an international virtual meeting sponsored by the British Organization Rock Around the Blockade.

In this regard, the University of Glasgow professor and author of several books on the Caribbean island said that the European Union, despite opposing Washington's unilateral measure, 'walks on tiptoe' around it.

Even in the United Kingdom, there are several examples of the blockade's extraterritorial application, even though British laws prohibit local companies from complying with the sanctions, she added.

For her part, U.S. activist Gloria de la Riva contrasted Cuba's response to the Covid-19 pandemic with the United States' situation, which despite being the wealthiest country in the world, has the highest number of deaths from the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

At this point, we still do not have a national approach to this crisis, she said.

The Cuban scientist based in the United Kingdom, Valia Rodriguez, explained that the health sector had been the most affected by the economic, financial, and commercial blockade that the Caribbean island has been suffering for almost 60 years.

On behalf of Cuba, the United States and the United Kingdom ambassadors, José Ramón Cabañas and Barbara Montalvo, respectively, spoke and thanked the international support and solidarity.