by Debra Heine
Massive protests broke out in Cuba on Sunday, with citizens shouting “freedom!” as they demonstrated against the corrupt and incompetent Communist regime. Cubans trapped in dire economic conditions took to the streets in over 32 Cuban cities, according to the Washington Times.
“Down with the dictatorship,” “We want liberty!” protesters reportedly chanted.
“We have NEVER seen a day like today in #Cuba 62 years of misery, repression & lies boiling over into organic, grassroots protests in over 32 cities,” tweeted Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), a Cuban-American. Rubio said the people’s anger has been “building for months,” and has finally boiled over.
We have NEVER seen a day like today in #Cuba
62 years of misery, repression & lies boiling over into organic, grassroots protests in over 32 cities #SOSCuba #PatriaYVida pic.twitter.com/U5L5Zzb5mg
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) July 12, 2021
Never seen images from #Havana. Thousands are mobilising across #Cuba demanding the end of the communist dictatorship while screaming “we are not afraid…we are not afraid.”#SOSCuba #Democracypic.twitter.com/QSomExnzDw
— Alexandre Krauss (@AlexandreKrausz) July 11, 2021
#ATENCIÓN| #Cuba en la calle exigiendo sus derechos, exigiendo #Libertad.
Palma Soriano
San Antonio de Baños
Guira de Melena
Santiago de Cuba
Bauta
Cárdenas
Camagüey
Alamar
Malecón y centro de La Habana Vieja#PatriaYVida #NoTenemosMiedo #Cuba #11Jull pic.twitter.com/jfCE3PmVqS— Movimiento San Isidro (@Mov_sanisidro) July 11, 2021
Even in the smallest towns they take to the streets in #Cuba today
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) July 11, 2021
Socialism sucks
Ask the people forced to live under it in places like #Cuba pic.twitter.com/mis4qM45OP
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) July 11, 2021
“The people are dying of hunger!” one woman shouted in Spanish during a protest in Artemisa province, as posted on Facebook. “Our children are dying of hunger!”
In a curious tweet about the unrest, a Biden administration official seemed to suggest that the protests were a reaction to the COVID pandemic, and related medicine shortages, not an uprising against Communist tyranny.
“Peaceful protests are growing in Cuba as the Cuban people exercise their right to peaceful assembly to express concern about rising COVID cases/deaths & medicine shortages,” tweeted Julie Chung, acting assistant secretary of state of Western Hemisphere affairs.
Peaceful protests are growing in #Cuba as the Cuban people exercise their right to peaceful assembly to express concern about rising COVID cases/deaths & medicine shortages. We commend the numerous efforts of the Cuban people mobilizing donations to help neighbors in need.
— Julie Chung (@WHAAsstSecty) July 11, 2021
American leftists, including former President Obama and members of his administration, have invested much effort in painting the Cuban Communist dictatorship in a positive light.
“This is a ridiculous tweet,” Rubio wrote in response. “People in #Cuba are protesting 62 years of socialism, lies, tyranny & misery not “expressing concern about rising COVID cases/deaths.”
The senator dinged Joe Biden for neglection to acknowledge the protests Sunday. “Why is it so hard for @potus & the people in his administration to say that?” he asked.
Rubio said that Republicans would be raising the issue with the United Nations National Security Council and working to put “the full force of the United States government” behind the protesters’ efforts.
This is a ridiculous tweet from @StateDept
People in #Cuba are protesting 62 years of socialism, lies,tyranny & misery not “expressing concern about rising COVID cases/deaths”
Why is it so hard for @potus & the people in his administration to say that? #SOSCuba #PatriaYVida https://t.co/vLt8SCUXeK pic.twitter.com/gP0KapjvnQ
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) July 12, 2021
Rubio called on the Biden administration to demand that the Cuban military not fire on their own people.
I am asking @POTUS @SecBlinken to call on members of the Cuban military to not fire on their own people
The incompetent communist party of #Cuba cannot feed or protect the people from the virus.
Now those in the military must defend the people not the communist party.
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) July 11, 2021
In its Trending News section, Twitter absurdly described the mass protests as an effort “to spread awareness about the impact of COVID-19 in Cuba.” Rubio said Twitter’s reportage was “surreal but not surprising.”
surreal but not surprising @twitter says this all about COVID “awareness” in #Cuba
Ignores this is really about how socialism is a disaster & always leads to tyranny, despair & suffering pic.twitter.com/T6DLOgFoAc
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) July 11, 2021
Rubio noted that the Cuban secret police usually go after opposition leaders when night falls, but because the uprising was grassroots, and spontaneous, there were no leaders to abduct.
“The dark of night is when the regime in #Cuba carries out the abduction of leaders of the opposition to the evil socialist dictatorship. But this is a leaderless, grassroots & nationwide movement,” he tweeted.
The senator went on to predict that protests would continue. “The anger has been building up for months & it’s just getting started,” he wrote.
The dark of night is when the regime in #Cuba carries out the abduction of leaders of the opposition to the evil socialist dictatorship
But this is a leaderless,grassroots & nationwide movement.
The anger has been building up for months & it’s just getting started. #SOSCuba
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) July 12, 2021
AP photographer Ramón Espinosa was reportedly seized and beaten by Cuban police while covering the protests in Havana.
AP photographer Ramón Espinosa seized covering Havana protests today. Whatever your view on the news, the civilized condemn when journalists are hurt documenting it. pic.twitter.com/0pfUUrLcnc
— Michael Weissenstein (@mweissenstein) July 12, 2021
Toda mi solidaridad con el colega Ramón Espinosa, fotógrafo de @AP, que fue golpeado por la policía. #SOSCuba pic.twitter.com/3ztfo9Lw6j
— Abraham Jiménez Enoa (@JimenezEnoa) July 12, 2021
Rubio said Espinosa was “attacked and seized by in Cuba thugs in the socialist regimes security forces.”
The senator blasted Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, accusing him of “openly calling for bloodshed” in his remarks about the protest.
The figurehead “President” of #Cuba tries to prove his toughness to Raul Castro by openly called for bloodshed
He says demands for #Libertad are a “provocation” & calls on Communists to violently confront protestors #SOSCuba #PatriaYVida pic.twitter.com/sbyo8WJgUd
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) July 12, 2021
According to the Washington Times, Diaz-Canel went on Cuban TV and “urged government supporters to defend the regime on the streets and blamed the U.S. embargo for the widespread shortages.”
He called the demonstrations “systemic provocation” by dissidents and said the U.S. was trying to damage Cuba’s economy to “provoke a massive social implosion.”
Carolina Barrero, a Cuban activist, called the protests “spontaneous, frontal and forceful,” and a challenge to a regime that has kept an iron lid on dissent since taking power when Dwight Eisenhower was U.S. president.
“It is the most massive popular demonstration to protest the government that we have experienced in Cuba since ’59,” she told the Times by text message.
“What has happened is enormous,” she added.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Sunday tweeted his support for the people of Cuba in their fight against the tyrannical regime.
“Florida supports the people of Cuba as they take to the streets against the tyrannical regime in Havana. The Cuban dictatorship has repressed the people of Cuba for decades & is now trying to silence those who have the courage to speak out against its disastrous policies,” DeSantis wrote.
Florida supports the people of Cuba as they take to the streets against the tyrannical regime in Havana. The Cuban dictatorship has repressed the people of Cuba for decades & is now trying to silence those who have the courage to speak out against its disastrous policies#SOSCuba pic.twitter.com/H71EYoKdUZ
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) July 11, 2021
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Debra Heine is a reporter at American Greatness.
Image “Cubans March for Liberty” by Movimiento San Isidro
When Obama was President he visited Cuba and stood proudly with the Communist leaders of Cuba in front of a building with the visage of Che Guevara
“A revolutionary must become a cold killing machine motivated by pure hate.” –Che Guevara
“Killing People is the essence of Communism.” –Che Guevara
Cuba is what Nashville mayor, Commie Cooper, and his merry band of Metro council socialist minions seem to want for our city, and ultimately, the Volunteer State.
And of course all the democratic socialist douche bags in the democratic party are keeping their loud mouths shut, How refreshing,