A massive crowd of anti-communist demonstrators gathered outside the Cuban Embassy in Washington, D.C. on Monday to protest the communist dictatorship that has oppressed the Cuban people for over 60 years. Some protesters also accused President Joe Biden’s administration of supporting communism.
Waving Cuban flags and carrying signs that read, “Lies, Terror, Communism,” the protesters called for freedom and liberty in Cuba.
“We don’t want food. What do we want? What do Cubans want?” one protester asked the crowd, to which the group responded, “Freedom!”
“People are dying,” another protester told Fox News. “Multiple times, Cuba has helped this country so it’s time to return the favor.”
A third protester wearing a shirt that stated, “You’re wrong, Joe, Cuba wants freedom,” told the news outlet that those advising President Biden on Cuba are supporting communists.
“He needs to get all [of] his advisers…get them out of there, and come here and talk to these people. We really know what’s going on” the man said. “The advisers he’s got? They’re supporting communists,” the protester said.
The rally just blocks from the White House comes as civil unrest protesting the communist government continues to rock the island nation.
“It’s painful for me because I have family back there … they’re hiding right now because they don’t want to be taken,” another demonstrator told Fox.
One protester just wanted to hear President Biden acknowledge the reality of what is occurring in Cuba.
“At least talk about what is happening. At least say the truth. Give a press conference and talk about it,” a protester said.
“I unequivocally condemn the mass detentions and sham trials that are unjustly sentencing to prison those who dared to speak out in an effort to intimidate and threaten the Cuban people into silence. The Cuban people have the same right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly as all people,” Biden said last week in response to the demonstrations in Cuba. “The United States stands with the brave Cubans who have taken to the streets to oppose 62 years of repression under a communist regime.”
Biden announced that his administration was imposing new sanctions targeting the Cuban regime, namely the head of the Cuban military and the division of the Cuban Ministry of the Interior, to “hold them accountable for their actions.”
“Advancing human dignity and freedom is a top priority for my Administration, and we will work closely with our partners throughout the region, including the Organization of American States, to pressure the regime to immediately release wrongfully detained political prisoners, restore internet access, and allow the Cuban people to enjoy their fundamental rights,” Biden concluded.
