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Cuba has not risen up against the tyranny that oppresses it since the 1990s. Today it has done so, motivated by the unbearable humanitarian crisis that the island is experiencing due to shortages as a result of its socialist policies and its terrible mismanagement of the pandemic. It is an opportunity that Cubans, and the world, cannot afford to miss.
No dictatorship in recent years has been as cruel as the Cuban one. Paradoxically, no dictatorship has enjoyed as much international complicity as the Cuban one. The Castro regime —which is still the Castro regime, even though it is under the orders of Díaz-Canel, Raúl’s puppet— has been imposing a slavery, starvation and murderous model for sixty-two years. Namely, communism.
However, some people today still believe that the island is suffering because the United States decided to isolate it in a long economic blockade. They lie, of course, because Cuba enjoyed years of Soviet subsidy, then Venezuelan; and extensive European trade and investment. If there is misery in Cuba, on the other hand, it is because a cruel dictatorship expropriated all private property and put an end to all productive activities.
The balseros, who have been the leitmotiv of this tragic story, are the main testimony of what is happening in Cuba. Over the years, thousands have preferred to take their chances in the merciless waters of the Caribbean, rather than endure the Castro yoke.
But this may be changing. The yearning for freedom is spreading across the island like wildfire and thousands of people, from Artemisa to Palma Soriano, have taken to the streets. To the thundering cry of “Freedom” and some even waving the American flag —as a symbol of what they want to be— a crowd is gathering with the purpose of overthrowing tyranny.
The feat implies great courage, because the Cuban regime is not afraid to kill and imprison its citizens, as it has done since the start of Fidel’s revolution. That is why the world must be alert and ready to intervene. The international community can’t continue to tolerate the tyrannical developments in Cuba. It can not continue to be an accomplice of blood and prisoners, as always. The time to act is now.
As Cubans march, we should all march. Because this cause is not only Cuba’s, but of all America. Especially of those who, without being Cubans, have suffered the Castro regime, which has spread misery and terror throughout the continent. The world must stand with those who today march for freedom on the island.
The Editorial Board
Thank you for reporting on this. They are such brave people to stand up and march in a place where they could be imprisoned or killed for doing so. Are there practical ways we can help them?