Ian Patrick, FISM News
Cuba continues to boil over as anti-government demonstrations and protests continue to take place at home and abroad. Their reasons for protesting have been confused to be solely about vaccine access or lifting a U.S. embargo on Cuba when the heart of their pleas involves freedom from their oppressive communist government.
One of such demonstrations took place in Washington D.C. over the weekend. Standing in front of the White House, multiple demonstrators chanted “Freedom!” while waving both the U.S. flag and the Cuban flag. Many people were holding signs, some of which read “S.O.S. Cuba” while others read “The real embargo is the Communist Government.”
Some of the group in front of the White House is supposedly from Southern Florida, driving all the way up to D.C. to show solidarity for the Cuban people.
@onairwithdia is in Washington D.C supporting the #SOSCuba movement! We stand in solidarity with our Cuban community as we help them demand change and fight for the freedom they deserve! 🇨🇺 #Cuba #HITS973 #Miami pic.twitter.com/kL0awQirCP
— HITS 97.3 (@HITS973) July 17, 2021
These demonstrators were calling for Biden to act and assist the Cuban people. Aside from vocal support that the U.S. stands with the Cuban people, neither Biden nor the White House has alluded to any further action.
Even prominent entertainers such as Gloria Estefan and Pitbull have pleaded online for other governments to support the Cuban people in their fight for independence, and to recognize the fatal horrors carried out by the Cuban government.
Yet the Cuban government has retaliated with their own protests to further confuse the message of the people. On Saturday, a government-organized protest in the city of Havana was held to denounce the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba. The event was attended by Cuba‘s current President and First Secretary of the Communist Party Miguel Diaz-Canel, as well as former President and First Secretary Raul Castro. Diaz-Canel spoke during the event and blamed the demonstrations happening since last Sunday on U.S.-backed ‘counter-revolutionaries,’ while continuing to pledge support for the Cuban ‘revolution.’