White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki declined to blame communism for the current unrest in Cuba on Wednesday, when asked by Peter Doocy of Fox News whether communism was the reason that people might want to flee Cuba for the U.S.
The context of Doocy’s question was a previous query about a statement Tuesday by Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas that Cubans and Haitians should not come to the U.S. by sea — though the administration is making illegal entry easier through the southern land border with Mexico. . .
Doocy: Sure, yeah. Do you think people are leaving Cuba because they don’t like communism ?
Psaki: I think we’ve been pretty clear that we think people are leaving Cuba, or not — leaving Cuba, or protesting in the streets, as well, because they are opposed to the oppression, to the mismanagement of the government in the country. And we certainly support their right to protest, we support their efforts to speak out against their treatment in Cuba. I will say, separately, an important question is also what happens when people are seeking protection, or what happens when they are attempting to flee. In the past, as I noted, we’ve had several humanitarian programs … But certainly, we have said many times, and I will reiterate here, that we support not just the role of the protest, and peaceful protests, we stand with the Cuban people in their call for freedom from both the pandemic and from decades of repression and economic suffering to which they have been subjected by Cuba’s authoritarian regime.
_____________________________________________________________
Biden Administration Claims Cuban Anti-Communist Protests Are About ‘Rising COVID Cases/Deaths’
President Joe Biden’s administration responded to protests in Cuba against the Communist regime on Sunday by issuing a statement through a minor official commending protests “about rising COVID cases/deaths & medicine shortages.” . . .
Julie Chung, Acting Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, said via Twitter that Cubans were exercising “their right to peaceful assembly” to protest COVID and “medicine shortages.” . . .
Peaceful protests are growing in #Cuba as the Cuban people exercise their right to peaceful assembly to express concern about rising COVID cases/deaths & medicine shortages. We commend the numerous efforts of the Cuban people mobilizing donations to help neighbors in need.
— Brian A. Nichols (@WHAAsstSecty) July 11, 2021
The Biden administration’s attempt to spin the protests as a demonstration about COVID-19 mirrors the rhetoric of the 2020 presidential election, during which Democrats charged that the Trump administration had failed on the pandemic.
_____________________________________________________________
Biden Inaction Triggers Growing Calls for U.S. Military Action on Cuba
A series of tepid and inaccurate statements from President Joe Biden and his administration are meeting growing calls this week for the American government to act to prevent the further loss of life in Cuba. . .
The Cuban Communist Party responded by issuing an “order of combat” commanding all communist loyalists to take the streets and violently assault peaceful protesters. It also shut down the internet for much of this week, making international reporting on the matter extremely difficult. The little information Cubans have managed to get out of the island indicates that protests have continued daily since Sunday despite widespread reports of police gang beatings, assassinations, and deadly door-to-door raids. . .
Protesters around the country have escalated their calls for military intervention against the Castro regime to defend the lives of unarmed, peaceful Cuban protesters. In front of the White House, protesters on Monday called for “urgent military intervention” in remarks to Univisión. In Miami, a group of protesters demanding military intervention blocked the Palmetto Expressway, the main highway in the city, on Tuesday.
Protesters around the country have escalated their calls for military intervention against the Castro regime to defend the lives of unarmed, peaceful Cuban protesters. In front of the White House, protesters on Monday called for “urgent military intervention” in remarks to Univisión. In Miami, a group of protesters demanding military intervention blocked the Palmetto Expressway, the main highway in the city, on Tuesday.
via joemiller