by Tyler Durden at ZeroHedge
Cuba’s President and Communist Party chief Miguel Diaz-Canel has blamed unprecedented large-scale protests gripping Cuba’s streets this week on foreign meddling, specifically charging the United States with stoking and fueling the anti-government demonstrations which have seen fierce clashes with police. At a Monday news conference, the same day Joe Biden said “We stand with the Cuban people and their clarion call for freedom” – Diaz-Canal further called on “revolutionary” citizens to counter the protests which he said are led by “vulgar criminals”.
“The order to fight has been given – into the street, revolutionaries!” the Communist leader urged. He further ranted about external agitators waging a “nonconventional war” especially utilizing the internet and social media with Washington’s help, slamming US-led sanctions in place for over a half-century a “policy of economic suffocation”.
“This policy of sanctions that prevents any kind of fuel arriving in Cuba has put us in a very difficult situation,” Diaz-Canel continued while denouncing “those who seek to discredit the revolution and fracture the unity of our country.”
And according to BBC, “Mr Díaz-Canel said the protesters were mercenaries hired by the US to destabilise the country, and called for his supporters to go out and defend the revolution – referring to the 1959 uprising which ushered in Communist rule.”
Multiple international correspondents on the ground have pointed to initial small scale protest quickly exploding across the island via social media despite government attempts to impose a blackout on coverage of protests. It appears to have started south-west of Havana in Antonio de los Baños.
Cubans are facing one of the worst economic crises in years which has included acute fuel and food shortages, soaring prices for basic necessities, and government mismanagement and fumbling of the coronavirus pandemic.
The police and security crackdown appears to be growing in harshness, fueling further outrage in the streets…
these scenes emerging from the protests in Cuba are absolutely heartbreaking 🙁 pic.twitter.com/WHaishz4io
— Rob (@robrousseau) July 12, 2021
One protester was cited by BBC as saying, “There is no food, no medicine, there is no freedom. They do not let us live.” In some instances the protesters’ desperation and attempted crackdown by security forces has turned violent:…
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