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Biden Says U.S. Supports Cuban People As Protests Grip Communist Nation

By News & Guts

Cuba is in the midst of protests and demonstrations unlike any the communist island has seen in decades. Thousands of Cubans took to the streets Sunday from the capital city of Havana to Santiago in anger and desperation, chanting ‘freedom’ and calling for President Miguel Diaz-Canel to step down, per a report by Reuters.

The protests were sparked in part by devastating food shortages and a dire lack of COVID-19 vaccines. But the protests the Miami Herald calls “unprecedented” are about a much larger issue: A desire by the Cuban people to end the dictatorship that has had a stranglehold on the country for more than half a century.

Video from Cuba showed authorities clashing with unarmed protesters. During a televised Sunday address, Diaz-Canel, the handpicked successor to Raul Castro some critics see as just a puppet ruler, blamed U.S. interference for the protests, saying its economic sanctions are the cause of the shortage. He also called on “local patriots” to confront anti-government protesters.

President Joe Biden issued a statement Monday expressing support for the protesters and condemning Cuba’s leadership.

““We stand with the Cuban people and their clarion call for freedom and relief from the tragic grip of the pandemic and from the decades of repression and economic suffering to which they have been subjected by Cuba’s authoritarian regime. 

The United States calls on the Cuban regime to hear their people and serve their needs at this vital moment rather than enriching themselves.”

Biden’s comments come a day after he was criticized by Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a Cuban American, for not going far enough in condemning the Cuban regime.

Another Florida lawmaker, Rep. Val Demings, also called on the Biden Administration to take action to help the Cuban people.

The stunning moments of dissent, highly uncommon in a country infamous for stamping out any signs of civilian demonstrations, caught even veteran journalists who have covered Cuba by surprise.

Miami’s massive Cuban-American community showed their support for the Cuban people with a massive turnout Sunday in front of the famous Little Havana restaurant Versailles, a traditional gathering spot for demonstrations against the Cuba’s regime.