THE historic Marx Memorial Library in London was the venue for Saturday’s celebration of 45 years of the Nicaraguan revolution.

The meeting, organised by the Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign Action Group, celebrated global solidarity in a challenging and fast-changing world.

Dr Carlos Arguello, Nicaraguan ambassador to the Netherlands and representative to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), addressed the meeting online.  

In March, Dr Arguello brought charges against Germany there, alleging breaches of international humanitarian law and the Genocide Convention in its role one of Israel’s main weapons providers in its continued onslaught on Palestine, and he reminded the meeting of the case.

“Germany presented evidence that they had stopped providing weapons to Israel,” he said. “So the decision of the court was that since Germany is not providing weapons, it wasn’t necessary to order them to stop.

“The important thing about this case is that it is still going on.”

In its findings, the court “also reminded all states of their obligations under international law not to provide arms to countries involved in an armed conflict,” he said.

Dr Arguello highlighted the importance of the ICJ’s advisory opinion on Friday on the role of other states in assisting Israel. 

“All countries must refrain from entering into economic or trade dealings with Israel concerning the occupied Palestinian territories which may entrench its unlawful presence in the territory,” he said.

Longstanding action group member Ruby Cox joined the meeting online from the Nicaraguan capital Managua, having joined the celebrations of the revolution there.

She reported that “the support for Daniel Ortega among the people was unwavering. People just love him,” she said.

“What I have witnessed is so different from the cynicism about politicians in the Western world.”

Cuban ambassador to Britain Ismara Mercedes Vargas Walter emphasised how Cuba and other progressive governments continue to condemn efforts by the United States to ignore international law and to impose illegal coercive measures on countries that fail to submit to their control.

She told the meeting that the ties between Cuba and Nicaragua “transcend time.” A year after the Sandinista revolution, Cuban president Fidel Castro visited Nicaragua and said: “We do not come here to teach nor to influence. We come humbly to learn.”

The meeting joined the call for the lifting of the blockade against Cuba as well as the unilateral declaration by the US of the Caribbean nation as a state sponsor of terrorism.