MESOPOTAMIA NEWS CASTRO’S FINALE: Thousands Join Rare Anti-Government Protests in Cuba

Thousands of Cuban protesters took to the streets demanding food, medicine, and an end to the island’s dictatorship under President Miguel Díaz-Canel amid an economic crisis, worsened by a surge in COVID-19 cases and lack of vaccines. “Freedom! We want freedom,” protesters chanted in videos shared to social media, as they marched on Havana, the country’s capital.

“Florida supports the people of Cuba as they take to the streets against the tyrannical regime in Havana,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis tweeted. “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.”

A decades-long U.S. trade embargo coupled with disabling bureaucracy has led to food shortages across Cuba and long queues for basic necessities. Díaz-Canel accused the U.S. of “provoking a social uprising” in an alleged plot to legitimize a military intervention. “The order to combat has been given. Revolutionaries need to be on the streets,” Díaz-Canel said. He did not make any concessions to protesters.

What happens now? Areas outside the country with sizable populations of Cubans, including Miami, have seen people march in support of the protests in Cuba. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the U.S. “supports freedom of expression and assembly across Cuba” and strongly condemns “any violence or targeting of peaceful protesters”. State-run media has said that Diaz-Canel will address Cubans again at 9am local time Monday.

Deeper reading: Biden Administration Vows Only to ‘Condemn’ Cuba Violence As Havana Accuses U.S.