The State Department is taking sugarcoating to a whole new level with its response to the mass protests in Cuba.
In a statement Sunday, acting Assistant Secretary of State Julie Chung did not even mention the fact that Cuba is a communist dictatorship and that its citizens are fighting back against its tyranny.
“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,” Chung tweeted. “We commend the numerous efforts of the Cuban people mobilizing donations to help neighbors in need.”
— Julie Chung (@WHAAsstSecty) July 11, 2021
It goes without saying that coronavirus-related issues would be intensified under an oppressive regime, but the comments from this State Department official are completely tone-deaf.
Thankfully, Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio wasn’t having it.
“This is a ridiculous tweet from [the State Department]. People in #Cuba are protesting 62 years of socialism, lies, tyranny & misery not ‘expressing concern about rising COVID cases/deaths.’ Why is it so hard for [President Joe Biden] & the people in his administration to say that?” Rubio tweeted.
In the video clip posted with the tweet, the senator said, “This is not just about COVID. Yeah, of course, COVID is the icing on the cake here, because you’ve got a socialist regime that says to people, ‘You have no freedom. You have no independence. You have no ability to speak freely. But you have a really good health care system.’ They don’t. People are dying in their homes. …
“These people are frustrated. They want to live in a normal country. … This is about freedom.”
This is a ridiculous tweet from @StateDept
People in #Cuba are protesting 62 years of socialism, lies,tyranny & misery not “expressing concern about rising COVID cases/deaths”
Why is it so hard for @potus & the people in his administration to say that? #SOSCuba #PatriaYVida https://t.co/vLt8SCUXeK pic.twitter.com/gP0KapjvnQ
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) July 12, 2021
The SOS Cuba protests have received bipartisan support, but the far-left wing of the Democratic Party has stayed quiet and the Biden White House has tried to play coy in terms of the root causes.
Is Jen Psaki saying Joe Biden’s statement on the Cuba protests did not come from him?
“The statement…we put out in the president’s name this morning, in his voice of course” pic.twitter.com/cO1RIZq1P4
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 12, 2021
“The protests were just happening yesterday, we’re still accessing what is motivating and, of course, and driving all of the individuals who came to the streets,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday in response to a question about Chung’s tweet.
“But we know that when I, we say exhaustion, the, the, the manner by which the people of Cuba are governed — that can cover a range of issues. Whether it’s economic suppression, media suppression, lack of access to health and medical supplies, including vaccines.”
Peter Doocy grills Psaki on the Biden admin’s suggestion that the protests in Cuba are in response to COVID: “So when these protestors are yelling ‘freedom’ and ‘enough,’ there are people in the administration who think they are saying ‘freedom from rising COVID cases’?” pic.twitter.com/w66RgxEYnB
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) July 12, 2021
And to his credit, Biden himself was relatively straightforward when giving a statement to the media on Monday afternoon.
“The Cuban people are demanding their freedom from an authoritarian regime, and I don’t think we’ve seen anything like this protest in a long, long time, if, quite frankly, ever. The United States stands firmly with the people of Cuba as they assert their universal rights,” the president said.
Pres. Biden on demonstrations in Cuba: “I don’t think we’ve seen anything like this protest in a long, long time. If, quite frankly, ever.” pic.twitter.com/f798YesDAr
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) July 12, 2021
These protests could continue to escalate with the potential for a large-scale crackdown, so the federal government needs to remain on alert and stand firmly with the people of Cuba.
Trying to downplay the reason people are vocalizing their frustrations will not do any good and will only hinder their efforts to achieve liberty.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
