July 9, 2022 — A STATEMENT BY: Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with Cuba
#AbrazoSolidario #CubaNoEstaSola #WeLoveCuba #LetCubaLive
On Sunday July 10 and Monday July 11, 2022 certain anti-Cuban organizations, outside of Cuba, have threatened to take actions against the Cuban government, specifically targeting Cuba’s diplomatic embassies and consulates around the world on the 1st anniversary of the July 11, 2021 disturbances in Cuba.
Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with Cuba in Canada, condemns these threats and intimidation tactics against the proud, sovereign, and revolutionary people of Cuba. This right-wing anti-Cuba campaign has previously included violent acts, most recently in July 2021 three petrol bombs were thrown at the Cuban Embassy in Paris, France. However this violence has also impacted Canada with the bombing of the Cuban pavilion during Expo ’67 and the murder of an Italian resident of Canada, Fabio di Celmo, in a Havana hotel bombing in 1997. The revolutionary people and government of Cuba has every reason to be concerned and on high alert with these groups and their history of violence.
Last year on July 11, 2021 a single day of disturbances in Cuba — with some Cubans taking to the street in protest against shortages in the country and also against the Cuban government — made global headlines for weeks. The mainstream media did not mention that the July 11 disturbances were often violent: attacking police, vandalizing local businesses and private homes, as well as dumping garbage in the streets.
The mainstream media also did not mention that the so-called leaders of these protests, many of whom are part of ‘dissident’ artistic and musical communities, are funded by two U.S. government agencies: USAID and the National Endowment for Democracy. In fact the U.S. House Appropriations Budget allocated $20 million in 2021 to projects devoted to overthrowing the Cuban government, much of which goes directly to these so-called ‘dissidents’. These groups do not represent the will of the overwhelming majority of Cuban society.
In the end, the relatively small disturbances in Cuba on July 11, 2021 became a top trending topic on Twitter and other social media platforms due to an organized imperialist campaign under the hashtag #SOSCuba which was launched by bots, some of which were tweeting multiple tweets per second over the course of 24 hours.
Furthermore, many photos shared widely online that claimed to be of large protests in Cuba, were in fact of protests in Miami, Egypt, Chile and Colombia. Many images of police brutality were also exposed as incidents of police violence in other countries, not Cuba. A now famous image, published by Fox News, the New York Times and the Guardian claimed to show anti-government protesters in Havana on July 11, but the picture clearly shows demonstrators holding their “26 de julio” flag, which is Fidel Castro’s guerrilla movement flag, they were clearly pro-government!
All of the misinformation, lies, and violence from July 11, 2021 are now threatening to be repeated once again this year on July 10 & 11, 2022. It is because of these threats that Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with Cuba and organizations in solidarity with Cuba around the world are standing committed with the revolutionary people and government of Cuba in the face of renewed attacks and intimidation by right-wing anti-Cuba forces. We stand in defense of Cuba’s diplomatic missions abroad and with the revolutionary people in Cuba who are standing in defense of their homeland.
U.S. Hands Off Cuba!
End the media lies against Cuba!
End the criminal U.S. blockade on Cuba!
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