Demonstrators hit the streets in all of Cuba’s major cities on Sunday to protest the ruling communist dictatorship's six decades of oppression. Protesters chanted “freedom,” “enough” and “unite,” and demanded the dissolution of the communist dictatorship established by Fidel Castro and inherited by current dictator Miguel Diaz-Canel.
Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio took the U.S. State Department to task over a tweet that blamed the protests on concerns over Covid-19 and not the worsening economic situation or the fact that protesters chanted, "We Want Liberty."
"People in Cuba are protesting 62 years of socialism, lies, tyranny & misery not ‘expressing concern about rising Covid-19 cases/deaths. Why is it so hard for @Potus & the people in his administration to say that?" Rubio tweeted.
Meanwhile, socialists in the U.S. Congress – including Sen. Bernie Sanders and members of “The Squad” in the House – have remained silent on the events transpiring in Cuba. The Squad includes Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, Jamaal Bowman, and Cori Bush.
The National Review noted that these legislators have never even denounced Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.
Diaz-Canel, who heads the Communist Party, has called on the country’s revolutionaries to counter the demonstrators. “We are prepared to do anything,” he said during a national address. “We will be battling in the streets.”
The leftist media, which has long hailed Cuba as a socialist paradise, characterized the protests as "anti-government" rather than a fight for freedom.
The New York Times described chants of “freedom!” as one of several “anti-government slogans” popular among the demonstrators. The Times also claimed the protests were about “food and medicine shortages.”
“Shouting ‘Freedom’ and other anti-government slogans, hundreds of Cubans took to the streets in cities around the country on Sunday to protest food and medicine shortages, in a remarkable eruption of discontent not seen in nearly 30 years,” the Times wrote.
The Times also parroted Cuban disinformation by suggesting the communist nation's “longstanding economic problems” stem from “the American trade embargo, which cuts off its access to financing and imports.”
“In televised remark,” the Times persisted, “Díaz-Canel said … the protests were a form of ‘systemic provocation’ by dissidents doing the bidding of the United States.”
Breitbart's Wendell Husebo reported: "The Times’ narrow coverage contradicts videos from throughout the island that show both plain-clothed and uniformed state security officers attacking peaceful protesters. Breitbart News reported bystanders in Havana heard sounds of heavy gunfire and beatings of dissidents, while Díaz-Canel called for street 'combat' against anyone demanding an end to the regime."
PJ Media's Bryan Preston noted: "The New York Times’ social media clearly did not enjoy the sight of Cubans demanding their freedom. It framed a protest for freedom as “anti-government."
This is the same paper, Preston noted, "that actively and knowingly covered up a communist genocide. That’s a little more difficult to do these days, but the Times and its Big Tech allies will fix that as soon as they can."
CBS News was aligned with its comrades the NY Times, tweeting: "A crowd gathered in Miami’s Little Havana on Sunday to demonstrate solidarity with anti-government protests being held in Cuba. The Cuban government has been criticized for the country’s economic crisis, as well as its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic."
Independent journalist Sharyl Attkisson tweeted in response: "(You forgot to mention: 'The Cuban government has also been criticized' for a little thing called communism and lack of freedom.)"
Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn noted in a Telegram post:
"America stands as the true North Star for freedom and we should be the champion of all freedom loving people around the world. The great people of Cuba have put up for far too long, despots and tyrants. They know they can do better and we should stand with them.
"Those that think this is solely about Cuba miss the point…communism (socialism, Marxism, Leninism) doesn’t work. Only freedom works. And when freedom loving people raise the American Flag, All-Americans should feel a sense of pride and should at least join in prayer for their safety and deliverance from the clutches of tyranny.
"The Cuban people deserve our complete and total support. We are with you and I pray the Cuban Military has the guts to stand for the people and not their tyrannical, incompetent government."
This is deeply moving.
Watch as Cubans wave the American flag while marching against the island’s 62 year-old communist dictatorship on the streets of Havana. Never forget what America represents to millions across the world. #SOSCuba🇨🇺 #PatriaYVida pic.twitter.com/rbEZmL7YgB
— Giancarlo Sopo (@GiancarloSopo) July 11, 2021
AHORA 🇨🇺 | El pueblo cubano saliendo masivamente a la calle pidiendo LIBERTAD!!!! #SOSCuba pic.twitter.com/bvcY0uiOVw
— Yusnaby Pérez (@Yusnaby) July 11, 2021
Free Press International
