Thousands of protesters take to the streets in Cuba 🇨🇺

[verita1]

Yesterday #SOSCuba was a trend on Twitter, I shared because I worry about the reasons why Cuba asks for help. It is because there are no medicines, food, medical care is precarious, infection rates are adulterated, so the people who protest say.

Take a look at these images. They are probably Covid19 patients without hospital beds.

https://twitter.com/RosaMariaPaya/status/1414029371057348614?s=19

But today the trend has changed, now the demonstrations are crying out for their freedom. After so many years, the Cuban people take to the streets with the hope of being free.

HAVANA, July 11 (Reuters) - Thousands of Cubans took to the streets from Havana to Santiago on Sunday in rarely seen protests, expressing frustration over economic conditions, the pace of COVID-19 vaccinations and what they said was government neglect.

President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who also heads the Communist Party, blamed the United States for the unrest in a nationally televised speech on Sunday afternoon.

Special forces jeeps, with machine guns mounted on the back, were seen in the capital, Havana, and Diaz-Canel called on supporters to confront “provocations."

Thousands of people gathered in downtown Havana and along parts of the seaside drive amid a heavy police presence. There were a few arrests and scuffles.

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/street-protests-break-out-cuba-2021-07-11/

[PrimeNumber7]

I hope they are able to overthrow their government, but I have serious doubts. The communists control access to things like food and electricity and the people have little access to weapons.

It’s too bad this didn’t happen last October. Trump might have intervened and defeated socialism in Cuba. The imagery would have been overwhelming and we might have been more mean tweets but we wouldn’t have racist and other evil policies. Plus there would be one less communist country.

[nutildah]

Trump might have intervened and defeated socialism in Cuba.

We already tried that once and it didn't end so well.

Besides, interventionism is not what Trump was all about.

You can't "free" a country from itself.

The idea has always been a farce.

[PrimeNumber7]

Besides, interventionism is not what Trump was all about.

According to John Bolton, Trump was very close to liberating Venezuela but ultimately decided against doing so. Several of his generals are anti-Trump and anti-American, and didn’t want him getting the win.

You can't "free" a country from itself.

Very few people support the government of Cuba. The government jails dissenters, so few are willing to take affirmative action against the government. Except for those associated with the government, nearly the entire country is oppressed and living in poverty. 

[cabron]

They are just adding to the problem of the country's crisis, those protests will just be a super spreader of the virus. Let's say they can overthrow President Calen and then what happens next? The virus will still be there and I don't think any country today that experienced the same crisis will run to help. They are inviting US, so they want the US to take over?

What they need there is martial law.

[Kong Hey Pakboy]

I hope they are able to overthrow their government, but I have serious doubts. The communists control access to things like food and electricity and the people have little access to weapons.

It’s too bad this didn’t happen last October. Trump might have intervened and defeated socialism in Cuba. The imagery would have been overwhelming and we might have been more mean tweets but we wouldn’t have racist and other evil policies. Plus there would be one less communist country.

They won't be able to do that in my opinion, I mean Cuba has been on Castro's hand for a really long time now and the people are probably too tamed to even revolt, maybe I am wrong and this is the lynchpin for a revolution in Cuba but I don't think that we will ever see that.

[Poker Player]

With this we can see how wonderful political systems like Cuba's, which are summarized in a tight state control that leads to misery everywhere. It's nothing we don't know about Cuba, but the demonstrations these days show that the situation is even more unsustainable and it has reached a point where people can't take it anymore.

They are just adding to the problem of the country's crisis, those protests will just be a super spreader of the virus. Let's say they can overthrow President Calen and then what happens next? The virus will still be there and I don't think any country today that experienced the same crisis will run to help.

What are you? A Venezuelan communist or what?

If they are going out on the streets, it is because they are not afraid of the consequences, because if they stand by and do nothing, they also risk dying. To risk that in a dictatorship they have to be very desperate.

They are inviting US, so they want the US to take over?

You can see that they will be better off dying under the current regime, for sure.

What they need there is martial law.

You are one more example that between fascism and communism there is only a thin line.

[verita1]

Thanks for your input on this thread. I have brought some new information because we must not divert attention. The Cuban population dared to massively protest in the streets, which stands out as an unusual event.

🇺🇸 US President Joe Biden has issued a statement in support of the people in Cuba.

🚨 All networks except twitter (for now) are down in Cuba.

Confirmed: Social media and messaging platforms restricted in #Cuba from Monday on state-run internet provider ETECSA; real-time network data corroborate reports of internet disruptions amid widening anti-government protests; incident ongoing  # CubaSOS

https://twitter.com/netblocks/status/1414633093814697993?s=20

We stand with the Cuban people as they bravely assert their fundamental and universal rights, and as they all call for freedom and relief from the tragic grip of the pandemic and from the decades of repression and economic suffering.

https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1414606091091075075?s=19

[evilgreed]

               Heavens! What is happening with the world! leaders are becoming more and more like one another as the duration of this pandemic goes on and on. It makes me feel disappointed with humanity that most of the people elect leaders due to personal gains or do not support their leaders for the same purpose. I am also disgusted with leaders that take advantage of their positions to pin down their OWN PEOPLE, OWN COUNTRYMEN just to satisfy their greed and other selfish reasons. If the world continues to go like this, I think GLOBAL WARMING would then be THE VERY LEAST of our problems in the future.

[Cnut237]

between fascism and communism there is only a thin line.

For once we are in agreement. History has shown us again and again that communism in theory leads to authoritarianism in practice. The worst system of government is one that silences opposition and refuses to be challenged. Democracy may be flawed and imperfect, but it is our best weapon as ordinary people for holding governments to account. A government that does not allow protest has no legitimacy.

Reporters sans Frontières has listed Diaz-Canel in its 2021 list of the worst heads of state for preventing press freedom. Details of his approach and activities can be found here. Cuba currently ranks a lowly 171 out of 180 nations for press freedom. Perhaps that will fall still further.

[famososMuertos]

The biggest protests in more than 30 years, read it again 30 years, there have been no protests in Cuba for 30 years of this magnitude is the ideological control of the population.

Protests were expected with the death of Fidel, with the handover of power by his brother, I know it is not transcendental to write it but these guys have been in the government since 1959, only surpassed by Queen Elizabeth ...

It is hard to say but the protests do not overthrow this type of government and the indifference of the UN, OAS and the countries of the world what it generates is disappointment ... Cuba is a concentration camp that exists in the indifference of the political bureaucracy for more than 60 years.

[cabron]

With this we can see how wonderful political systems like Cuba's, which are summarized in a tight state control that leads to misery everywhere. It's nothing we don't know about Cuba, but the demonstrations these days show that the situation is even more unsustainable and it has reached a point where people can't take it anymore.

They are just adding to the problem of the country's crisis, those protests will just be a super spreader of the virus. Let's say they can overthrow President Calen and then what happens next? The virus will still be there and I don't think any country today that experienced the same crisis will run to help.

What are you? A Venezuelan communist or what?

If they are going out on the streets, it is because they are not afraid of the consequences, because if they stand by and do nothing, they also risk dying. To risk that in a dictatorship they have to be very desperate.

Their dictator can't do anything for them, they are lucky they still can do protest there which means there is freedom of speech. If US is not intervening in Cuba they could have progressed massively, why do they still have the Blockage even when there is no threat from Cuba, they are no hostile, there is no weapon they hide.

What are they afraid for this country to progress because it's located in a very strategic location.
Russia is still the Mexico Gulf conducting their war games, If someone in Cuba positioning like US, they can easily bring the fleet of Russia.

[Poker Player]

Their dictator can't do anything for them, they are lucky they still can do protest there which means there is freedom of speech.

Give me some of the LSD or whatever it is you're on, please. I want to get as high as you.

The freedom of speech they have in Cuba is summed up by Reagan in a joke about the Soviet Union:

"An American and a Russian were arguing about their two countries. The American said, 'I can walk into the Oval office, I can pound the president's desk, and I can say, Mr. President, I don't like the way you're running our country.'

The Soviet citizen said, 'I can do that.' The American said, 'You can?' He says, 'Yes. I can go into the Kremlin to the general secretary's office, I can pound his desk and say, Mr. General Secretary, I don't like the way President Reagan is running his country.''"

[Cnut237]

If US is not intervening in Cuba they could have progressed massively, why do they still have the Blockage even when there is no threat from Cuba, they are no hostile, there is no weapon they hide.

You do have a valid point that the current woes suffered by the Cuban population are due in part to the 60 year US embargo - which for the first 40 years even prohibited humanitarian relief. The UN criticises the US for this very frequently, but as usual with the UN, to zero effect. We are a long way from the missile crisis, a long way from the mighty Soviet regime representing an existential threat to US freedom... Obama did take steps to ease relations, but for every step forward he took, Trump then took a step back. It remains to be seen what Biden will do, although he's said he will "reverse the failed Trump policies".

But regardless of the embargo, the Cuban government also has to take some of the blame for the misery of the population, and any government that suppresses freedom of expression is not a legitimate representative of its people.

[Poker Player]

If US is not intervening in Cuba they could have progressed massively,

You do have a valid point that the current woes suffered by the Cuban population are due in part to the 60 year US embargo

They would have progressed massively. Ahem, ahem. Surely the embargo has had a negative effect, but there has not been any communist country that has progressed massively so far, so I see no reason to think that would be the case.

[verita1]

I was waiting for the pronouncement of Black Lives Matter and I hoped that it was supporting the Cuban population. It is remarkable that Protestants have a just cause, freedom, and their full right to demand "Change the system." Very far from reality was BLM.
Of course there are discontents in the twitter community this community lost its credibility with a single tweet.

https://twitter.com/sabrod123/status/1415496641658896391?s=19

On the other hand, Protestants in Cuba have received better support from the Swiss MFA (Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.

Switzerland is following with concerns the protests of the last few days in Cuba. It calls on the authorities to respect human rights, in particular freedom of assembly and expression, and to release all those who have protested peacefully. It encourages the Cuban authorities to engage in an inclusive dialogue with the protesters on their concerns.

https://twitter.com/SwissMFA/status/1415656137106640902?s=19

[KingScorpio]

I hope they are able to overthrow their government, but I have serious doubts. The communists control access to things like food and electricity and the people have little access to weapons.

It’s too bad this didn’t happen last October. Trump might have intervened and defeated socialism in Cuba. The imagery would have been overwhelming and we might have been more mean tweets but we wouldn’t have racist and other evil policies. Plus there would be one less communist country.

these are not "the cubans" these are more like the american teachers union or the democrats that want ton install a corrupt regime, like in many third world countries

[PrimeNumber7]

I hope they are able to overthrow their government, but I have serious doubts. The communists control access to things like food and electricity and the people have little access to weapons.

It’s too bad this didn’t happen last October. Trump might have intervened and defeated socialism in Cuba. The imagery would have been overwhelming and we might have been more mean tweets but we wouldn’t have racist and other evil policies. Plus there would be one less communist country.

these are not "the cubans" these are more like the american teachers union or the democrats that want ton install a corrupt regime, like in many third world countries

I am not sure what you are talking about. There is already a corrupt dictator in charge of the Cuban government...

[nutildah]

There is already a corrupt dictator in charge of the Cuban government...

Miguel Diaz-Canel is not a "corrupt dictator." He's the first non-Castro to be president since 1979 and he's only been in office for about 3 months.

If you're talking about Raul Castro, he did oversee the office of the presidency up until April, but he retired because he's 90 years old.