According to reports in American and international capitalist media, protests in Cuba show the Cuban people’s rejection of socialism and of the legacy of the Cuban Revolution. However, the situation in Cuba is in no way as simple as the US ruling class would picture it, nor is it a matter of “revolution vs. reaction,” as some overseas supporters of Cuba might wish to interpret the current conjuncture in that island nation.
According to an article published Friday, July 16, 2021 on the People’s World website, online organ of the Communist Party USA: “The current demonstrations in Cuba cannot be grouped together and generalized as one large ‘anti-government’ protest, as several mainstream corporate media outlets have tried to do. Nor can all of the protesters be labeled ‘CIA plants’ or ‘counter-revolutionaries,’ as some on the sectarian left have rushed to claim.
“Many protesters are simply apolitical citizens of the island nation who are frustrated with the pandemic and food shortages brought on by the blockade and do not know exactly where to direct their frustration. In Miami, anti-communist (and mostly Trumpite Republican) ‘gusanos,’ [Spanish for ‘maggots,’ a negative term long used for anti-Cuban expats] such as Mayor Francis Suarez, call for U.S. military intervention in Cuba. But how bombing the Cuban people, as Suarez has advocated, would supposedly save them from the pandemic and food shortages goes unexplained. The demands for military attacks and airstrikes came on the heels of GOP [US Republican Party] Rep. Anthony Sabatini calling for Cuban government officials to be executed.
“So far, it is only right-wing anti-communists such as these [who are] promoting violence, not the Cuban government [or protesters in Cuba]. And given the size of counter-demonstrations, it does not appear that the overthrow of the government is a prospect that excites many Cubans.
The protests are also notably taking place only two years after a constitutional vote in Cuba where over 80% of the population voted in favor of preserving socialism.
“In any case, one thing is clear: Only the Cuban people can decide the future of Cuba, and it seems that the majority of Cubans have no plan on abandoning their revolution.”
