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Tuesday, July 13, 2021

Cuba Libre'?

Something is happening in Cuba but it remains a mystery to much of the media, I guess.

This probably leads to nothing in the face of government force. But who knows?

Cuba has been plunged into turmoil by the largest protests against its Communist government in decades.

Thousands took to the streets in towns and cities across the island shouting "freedom" and "down with the dictatorship" on Sunday.

Despite the cries from the protesters for freedom and the end of a dictatorship, actually according to the article, the protests are caused by three things: poor government Xi Jinping Flu pandemic measures, pandemic-related economic problems, and Internet access.

I'll buy the last reason because it enabled organize protests. But that isn't a cause. And lots of countries aren't handling the Covid-19 pandemic that started in Wuhan, China, very well. 

Are we really to ignore the cries for freedom and for the end of the communist dictatorship?

The Cuban regime is certainly taking this expression of resistance seriously (via Instapundit):

Special forces jeeps, with machine guns mounted on the back were seen throughout the capital and the police presence was heavy even long after most protesters had gone home by the 9 p.m. curfew in place due to the pandemic.

I'm pleasantly surprised at this official Biden reaction (tip to PJ Media):

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 Cuban people are bravely asserting fundamental and universal rights. Those rights, including the right of peaceful protest and the right to freely determine their own future, must be respected. The United States calls on the Cuban regime to hear their people and serve their needs at this vital moment rather than enriching themselves.

I'm not suggesting we send Marines and paratroopers in. But it is good to openly side with the good guys. Pity we can't pay for satellite Internet access over Cuba as the regime cracks down.

Americans who posed as a Resistance to a pretend tyranny after the 2016 election should be embarrassed by this true brave resistance to actual tyranny.

The only thing I know for sure is that if the Cuban people overthrow the communist dictatorship, Western leftists will be united in their certainty that Cuba didn't have "true communism".

UPDATE: Reaction:

A day after thousands of demonstrators took to Cuba's streets in rare protest of the island nation's economic crisis, large contingents of police were dispatched to patrol in the capital of Havana[.]

Havana's rulers claim American sanctions are the cause of Cuba's problems despite Cuba's ability to trade with the rest of the world. 

UPDATE: More.

UPDATE: The fear. The reason. Tips to Instapundit.

UPDATE: Let's hope the communist thugs will fall eventually. What follows might not be better. But for things to get better the communist thugs must first fall.