2021 Cuban protests

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2021 Cuban protests
Part of the Cuban dissident movement and protests over responses to the COVID-19 pandemic
File:2021 Cuban protests.png
Protesters marching in Havana on 11 July
Date 11 July 2021 – present
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Location
Caused by
Goals
  • End of one-party government[4][5]
Methods Protest marches,[1][6] looting[7]
Concessions
  • Cuban government temporarily lifted the limit on amount of food and medicine that can be imported without duties[8][9]
Parties to the civil conflict
Lead figures
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No centralized leadership

Miguel Díaz-Canel (First Secretary and President)
Salvador Valdés Mesa (Vice President)
Manuel Marrero Cruz (Prime Minister)
Esteban Lazo Hernández (Assembly President)
Álvaro López Miera (Defense Minister)
Raúl Castro
(former First Secretary)

Units involved
Number
Thousands (estimated)[12]
Unknown
Casualties and losses

1 protester dead[13]
(5 according to Cuba Decide)[14]

150 arrests (according to group Cubalex)[15]
Some police officers injured[16]
Casualties

A series of ongoing protests against the Cuban government and the ruling Communist Party of Cuba began on 11 July 2021, triggered by the shortage of food and medicine and the government's response to the resurgent COVID-19 pandemic in Cuba.[17][18][12] The protests have been described as the largest anti-government demonstrations since the Maleconazo in 1994.[4][19][20] As of 14 July, one person has died during a clash between protesters and police,[13] while an estimate by group Cuba Decide shows five deaths.[14][undue weight? ]

Background

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In 2020, the economic situation in Cuba worsened. The Cuban economy contracted by 10.9% in 2020, and by 2% in the first six months of 2021.[21] The economic crises emerged from a combination of factors, including reduced financial support (subsidized fuel) from Cuba's ally Venezuela, the United States embargo and sanctions against Cuba, and the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit the country's tourism industry and led to a decrease in remittances from Cubans abroad.[10][20][21][22][23][5] The economic situation has been exacerbated by inefficiencies.[20][10] Although the embargo does not currently fully explicitly block the acquisition of food and medicines,[24] some studies done by the American Association for World Health and The Lancet showed that while the Cuban Democracy Act was amended to allow the de jure export of food and medicines into the country, the de facto application and implications of the act's enforcement significantly restricted the accessibility of both within Cuba.[25][26] According to the United Nations, which opposes the embargo, the health and nutrition of Cubans are negatively affected by the embargo; a condemnation of the emargo received the support of the United Nations General Assembly since 1992, with only Israel and the United States rejecting it.[27] Deteriorating economic conditions led to reductions in Cubans' standard of living, shortages of food and other basic products,[5][28] a shortage in hard currency,[28] and persistent power outages.[22]

The government refused to receive COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX initiative or buy foreign ones, opting to develop its own one instead, the Soberana 02.[24] Critics abroad described the process as delayed, and vaccine rollout as slow, and said it angered some Cubans and prompted their calls for more vaccines.[20][28] At the time the protests had broken out, about 15% of the Cuban population was fully vaccinated,[22] and the country had administered 64.3 doses per 100 people, the 5th highest rate in Latin America.[29] In 2021, COVID-19 cases began to surge in Cuba especially in the Matanzas Province; a situation that was further aggravated by the shortage of medicines and food.[30] The government responded by deploying more doctors to the province.[20] The protests were also fuelled by dissatisfaction with Cuba's government, with The Washington Post describing it as a "police state".[21][28][31] The government's curbs on Cubans' civil liberties has prompted resentment.[21][32]

Due to the evolving crises, a social media campaign using the hashtags #SOSCUBA and #SOSMATANZAS was initiated to collect money, medical materials, food and other supplies to be sent to Cuba.[30] Various international figures such as Don Omar, Ricardo Montaner, Alejandro Sanz, Nicky Jam, J Balvin, Daddy Yankee, Becky G, and Mia Khalifa joined the request.[33] The Cuban government recognized the crisis describing it as "very complex" but rejected a proposed humanitarian corridor and described the campaign as an attempt to misrepresent the situation.[34] Cuba set up a bank account to receive aid and said that it was open to receive donations, although the designated account is in a Cuban bank under United States sanctions. According to the Miami Herald, the government has historically refused or seized aid coming from Cuban exiles.[20][34]

Protests

11 July

On 11 July 2021, at least two demonstrations emerged in San Antonio de los Baños, near Havana, and Palma Soriano, in the province of Santiago de Cuba, singing the song "Patria y Vida" (Homeland and Life). The song's name is an inversion of the Cuban Revolution motto "Patria o Muerte" (Homeland or Death). Videos of protesters singing slogans of "Freedom", "Down with communism", and "We are not afraid" were broadcast on social networks in addition to protesters demanding vaccines.[35][36] Opposition media outlets such as Martí Noticias have published social media videos of protests on the Malecón in Havana, Santiago, Santa Clara, Ciego de Ávila, Camagüey, Bayamo, Guantánamo, San José de las Lajas, Holguín, Cárdenas.[37] According to Orlando Gutiérrez, an exiled dissident of the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance, there were protests in more than fifteen cities and towns in Cuba.[38] Gutiérrez asked the United States government to lead an international intervention to prevent protesters from being "victims of a bloodbath".[38][39][40] The San Isidro Movement called on the protesters to march to Malecón in Havana.[35]

Cuban president and First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Díaz-Canel said that the United States embargo against Cuba and economic sanctions were responsible for the conditions that led to the unrest.[21][41] He urged loyal Cubans to take to the streets in counter-protest to respond to the demonstrations, saying in a special television broadcast: "The order to fight is given, the revolutionaries to the streets."[19][35] The Cuban government called the protests "counterrevolutionary".[42] Younger Cubans comprised the majority of protesters, while some members of older generations responded to demonstrations, assisting Cuban authorities.[23]

Following First Secretary Díaz-Canel's statements, about 300 government supporters arrived at El Capitolio; the Miami Herald reported that one Associated Press (AP) cameraman was assaulted by these counter-protesters while a separate AP photographer was injured by police.[20] AP photographer Ramon Espinosa was detained by authorities as well.[20] San Antonio residents reported that the police repressed protesters and detained certain participants.[43] In videos circulated on social media, people were seen throwing stones at police while reports of authorities beating demonstrators were heard.[20] By the evening, protests had dissipated.[23]

Cuban journalist Yoani Sánchez reported that after the protests on 11 July some were injured and there were hundreds of detentions.[44][45]

12 July

On 12 July, more protests were reported in Cuba.[46][47] A journalist from the Spanish newspaper ABC was arrested.[48][49][50][51] Internet watchdog NetBlocks reported that social media platforms in Cuba were censored beginning on 12 July 2021, although virtual private networks were able to bypass government blockages[52] and with a police presence in the streets of Havana. Dozens of women gathered in front of police stations to inquire about the whereabouts of their husbands, children and relatives arrested or disappeared during the events of the previous day.[53][54][55] Faced with the accusations of missing persons, Díaz-Canel stated: "They have already come up with the fact that in Cuba we repress, we murder. Where are the Cuban murders? Where is the Cuban repression? Where are the disappeared in Cuba?"[56]

A meeting of the top leadership of the Communist Party of Cuba including former First Secretary Raúl Castro was held where the issue of the protests was addressed, releasing a statement that "the provocations orchestrated by counterrevolutionary elements, organized and financed from the United States with destabilizing purposes, were analyzed."[57] Díaz-Canel accused the United States of using a policy of "economic asphyxiation [to] cause social unrest" in Cuba.[58] Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla labeled the protesters as "vandals".[59] Authorities blocked access to social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, and Instagram.[60]

13 July

The non-governmental organization Cuba Decide estimated a toll of five deaths during the protests.[14]

During a live interview with the Spanish television program Todo es mentira, Cuban YouTuber and activist Dina Stars was detained by Cuban security officers.[61][62][63] She was later released after being accused of promoting protests in Cuba and stated that "they didn't torture me or kidnap me."[64]

In Miami, Florida, protesters temporarily blocked the Palmetto Expressway in both directions in order to show support for the Cuban protesters.[65] Some newspapers reported that the protesters were in violation of a Florida anti-riot law; however, none of the protesters have been charged and Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis said he did not think the law applied.[66][67][68]

14 July

The web page CiberCuba released a video where allegedly a group of "Black Berets", the Cuban police, break into the house of a demonstrator and fire at him immediately in front of his wife and children.[69] According to the lawyers' group Cubalex, over 200 people have been detained and many remain in detention as of 15 July.[70][71]

Deputy Minister of the Interior of Cuba Jesús Manuel Burón Tabit resigned after questioning decision-making within the ministry and the Security Council, as well as what he called the excessive use of police force to repress the demonstrations.[72] In order to deal with the shortages, the Cuban Chamber of Commerce has lifted customs restrictions that limited imports of hygiene products, medicine and food, which one of the protesters demanded the government should do. Travelers will be allowed to bring these products into Cuba between 19 July and 31 December 2021 without being subject to customs duties.[73] In addition, directors of state-owned enterprises will be given the authority to determine their employees' salaries. Small- and medium-sized privately-owned businesses would be able to be organized. The government also announced it would be improving on the electricity system, and internet was also restored.[2]

In a national address on Wednesday evening, Diaz-Canal called on Cubans not to "act with hate" but also admitted some failures by the state, explaining: "We have to gain experience from the disturbances. We also have to carry out a critical analysis of our problems in order to act and overcome, and avoid their repetition."[74]

Reactions

Protests abroad

Cubans residing in Chile marched to the Cuban consulate in Santiago in support of the protests.[75] Protests in Miami urging the United States to provide aid for the protests in Cuba have taken place.[76] Mayor of Miami Francis X. Suarez, a Cuban American, stated it was time for a United States-led international intervention in Cuba, saying: "We are asking the federal government to do everything possible and not waste this moment." Suarez added that "this moment can mean freedom to so many in the hemisphere, from Nicaraguans to those who suffer under the Maduro regime in Venezuela."[20] Demonstrations also took place at the Puerta del Sol in Madrid, Spain.[37] In Buenos Aires, Argentina, a protest took place in front of the Cuban embassy in Buenos Aires with protesters holding placards with the phrases "Patria y vida" and others with the slogan "S.O.S. Cuba".[77] In São Paulo, Brazil, political parties and social movements staged a protest in favor of the Cuban government and "in defense of sovereignty" in front of the Consulate General of Cuba.[78]

On July 12, the White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters: "A Cuba policy shift is not currently among President Biden's top priorities."[79]

Governments

  •  Argentina's President Alberto Fernández said that he did not know what was happening in Cuba and blamed the humanitarian crisis on the United States embargo against Cuba.[80]
  •  Bolivia's President Luis Arce expressed his support for the Cuban people who "fight against destabilizing actions."[81] Former President Evo Morales accused the United States of launching a new Operation Condor.[82]
  •  Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro commented that it was a sad day for Cuba because people requested freedom and received shots, attacks, and prison instead. He said that there are people in Brazil who support Cuba, Venezuela, and "those kinds of people."[83]
  •  Canada said it "supports the right to freedom of expression and assembly and calls on all parties to uphold this fundamental right." Global Affairs Canada said that all sides should "exercise restraint" and "engage in peaceful and inclusive dialogue."[84]
  •  Chile's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement condemning the repression in order "to silence protesters who peacefully claim greater freedom, better health system and better quality of life." It also added that "freedom of expression and peaceful assembly must be guaranteed."[85]
  •  China's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhao Lijian called for the lifting of the United States embargo on Cuba, which he said was responsible for shortage of medicine and energy in the country.[86]
  •  Mexico's President Andrés Manuel López Obrador urged foreign governments not to intervene in the internal affairs of Cuba and stated that it is the Cubans who solve their problems. In addition to this, he also said that if they want to help, they should help end the blockade.[87]
  •  Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega sent his expressions of support to Miguel Díaz-Canel, condemning the "permanent blockade, destabilization and aggression" against Cuba.[88][89]
  •  Peru's Interim President Francisco Sagasti supported the protesters to "express freely and peacefully" and invoked the Cuban authorities to "consider their requirements in a democratic spirit."[90]
  •  Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia stated through its spokesperson Maria Zakharova that it is "unacceptable for there to be outside interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state or any destructive actions that would encourage the destabilization of the situation on the island."[91]
  •  Saint Vincent's Prime Minister and the Grenadines Ralph Gonsalves issued a statement in support of the Cuban government [92]
  •  Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement recognizing the right of Cubans "to demonstrate freely and peacefully" and that "forms of aid that could alleviate the situation" will be studied.[93] In Spain, the Cuban protests provoked debate and political controversy, as Spanish right-wing politicians demanded a more serious condemnation of the Cuban government from the Spanish authorities, that the Spanish government qualify it as a dictatorship and that Spain make the European Union adopt an active opposition policy towards it. When asked if Cuba was a dictatorship, left-wing Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez responded: "It is evident that Cuba is not a democracy." These acts from right-wing politicians have received criticism, being accused of using the protests as an opposition tactic against the current left-wing government. The lack of such harsh condemnation against events in other countries such as Colombia by the political right was also criticized.[94]
  •  United States' President Joe Biden said that he supports the Cuban people and their "clarion call for freedom and relief."[95][96] Julie J. Chung, Acting Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs for the United States Department of State, stated: "We are deeply concerned by 'calls to combat' in Cuba. We stand by the Cuban people's right for peaceful assembly. We call for calm and condemn any violence."[20]
  •  Uruguay's President Luis Lacalle Pou expressed his support for the opposition protesters, saying they had "commendable courage."[97]
  •  Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro expressed "all the support to the Cuban revolutionary government" on a phone call to Díaz-Canel.[98]

Supranational organizations

Human rights groups

Others

  • Republican Senator from Florida Marco Rubio demanded President Joe Biden to call on Cuba's military to support protesters, while Democratic Senator from New Jersey Bob Menendez said the United States should "stand in solidarity with the brave people of Cuba that are risking their lives today for change in their country and a future of Patria y Vida."[20] Democratic Senator from Connecticut Chris Murphy argued that the embargo against Cuba had not worked and empowered the Cuban government.[102]
  • Mauricio Macri, former president of Argentina, distanced himself from Alberto Fernández and gave his full support to the demonstrators: "I want to support the Cuban people in the streets requesting the end of the dictatorship and an improvement of their life conditions. Let them know that all the people in the continent and the world who share the value of liberty are with them." Similar messages were delivered by Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, mayor of Buenos Aires, and María Eugenia Vidal, former governor of the Buenos Aires Province. Macri also signed a letter of IDEA (Democratic Initiative of Spain and the Americas), alongside other former presidents.[103]
  • Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, former Brazilian president, said during a candidacy for president event next year in Brazil that if Cuba did not have a blockade by the United States, the country "could be Holland", and said that the blockade was a form of "killing human beings without being at war."[104]

See also

References

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