2024 Cuban Protests

On 17 March 2024, protests began in Cuba, primarily in Santiago de Cuba, the country's second largest city, in protest of food shortages and power outages.

The country experienced what was described as the worst living crisis since the early 1990s. The government blames the U.S. embargo, which it refers to as a "blockade", imposed since 1962 during the early years of the revolutionary regime to power but intensified in 2021 with Cuba's addition to the State Sponsors of Terrorism list. Cuba accused the U.S. of stirring up unrest, an accusation the United States has denied.

Background

On 12 January 2021, then-U.S. President Donald Trump added Cuba to the State Sponsors of Terrorism list, implementing a new series of economic sanctions on the country. The government of Cuba had hoped that Joe Biden would remove Cuba from the list. However, Biden has entirely avoided the issue and, according to Cuban governmental sources, has not responded to several calls to have a diplomatic meeting to remove Cuba from the list.

In a press release shortly after the start of the protests, the Cuban government called the inclusion of Cuba on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list to be the most egregious element of U.S. sanctions. U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro ( D- TX20) called Biden's failure to remove Cuba from the list "a serious missed opportunity that has worsened the lives of everyday Cubans." By being labeled a State Sponsor of Terrorism, new economic sanctions were implemented that discouraged third-party foreign investment, as those companies would be barred from doing business in the United States under the Helms–Burton Act. Additionally, the inclusion on the list has all but eliminated tourism to Cuba, namely from the European Union.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the price of fuel has risen 500%, which is especially troublesome for Cuba as most of their electricity is generated by oil-burning power plants. Prior to this, Cuba had relied on one of its few allies, Venezuela, to sell oil at a discount, but due to the economic crisis in Venezuela, this special relationship had to be ended. Due to the fuel shortages, there are widespread rolling blackouts in major Cuban cities. Cuba also relies on food imports, receiving $7 billion (United States Dollar) per year, but due to the weak purchasing power of the Cuban peso, purchases almost all imports with foreign currency reserves. These reserves are also used to purchase fuel, which coupled with inflation that left a 18.5% GDP hole, leaves little remaining for food imports. Along with a poor harvest, Cuba has experienced food shortages.

Just weeks before the protests on 7 March, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel sacked his economy minister, Alejandro Gil Fernández, for alleged corruption and mismanagement. That same day, ''Diario de Cuba'', a publication funded by the National Endowment for Democracy, reported that there is an extensive black market for cat meat as basic goods became increasingly scarce.

Response

The government quickly provided rice and milk, but dissatisfaction continued. Cuba reached out to the World Food Programme for powdered milk and other items to help relieve the shortages.

Díaz-Canel wrote on X, "Mediocre politicians and online terrorists lined up from South Florida to heat up the streets of #Cuba with interventionist messages and calls for chaos. They were left wanting." Additionally, in a press release the Cuban government claimed that the whole of South Florida's "only livelihood is the industry of aggression against Cuba."

Cuba's state-run telecommunications company curtailed internet access in response to the protests. According to Cuban-born U.S. Representative Carlos A. Giménez ( R- FL28), the Cuban government mobilized secret police to prevent protesters from organizing as well, both actions done against the 2021 Cuban protests. He called on the Biden administration to provide satellite internet to protesters. In response, a State Department spokesperson said, "U.S. regulations allow for certain internet-based services to support the Cuban people."

María Payá Acevedo, the daughter of assassinated dissident Oswaldo Payá and one of the leading Cuban opposition figures living in exile in Miami, announced that her Cuba Decides initiative is calling on international leaders to stand with and support the protesters to ensure a peaceful transition to democracy. Cuba Decides has outlined a four step plan to implement democracy, the first is to recognize and guarantee the protection of human rights for all Cubans, the second is a "a binding plebiscite implementing electoral and transparency guarantees" to end the one party state, the third is to "initiate a transition process that establishes democratic institutions" and lastly "free and multiparty elections" to establish a new government.

Reactions

On 18 March, Havana summoned the highest-ranking U.S. diplomat, business manager Benjamin Ziff. Carlos Fernández de Cossío, the Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister, delivered a note of protest to Ziff denouncing the United States for "interventionist conduct" and "slanderous messages" claiming that the reports on the protest did not reflect "internal affairs of the Cuban reality." United States Department of State spokesman Vedant Patel responded saying "the United States is not behind these protests in Cuba, and the accusation of that is absurd."

U.S. Representative and daughter of Cuban exiles María Elvira Salazar ( R- FL27) stated in an interview with '' The Hill,'' "I hope this crisis and the protests in Santiago de Cuba expose the failures of communism and lead to an end of the dictatorship." U.S. Senator Rick Scott issued a statement urging his country to stand with the "brave Cuban people".

The U.S. embassy stated, "We urge the Cuban government to respect the human rights of the protesters and attend to the legitimate needs of the Cuban people." Carlos Fernández de Cossío called the statement by the embassy "disrespectful“ and an "open interference in Cuba's domestic affairs." Johana Tablada, the top Cuban diplomat in the United States, stated that the American government's goal is "regime change" against the current ruling Communist Party.

On 18 March, Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Dmitry Chernyshenko, touted Russia and Cuba's deepening economic ties, celebrating that over 100 Russian companies have started doing business in Cuba and were involved in the heavy industry, energy, banking, agriculture, IT, and tourism sectors. Chernyshenko stated, "Cuba is a reliable Russian ally." Additionally, in 2023, Cuba implemented the Russian Mir payment system.

On 22 March, former U.S. president and 2024 Republican nominee Donald Trump posted a video to Truth Social stating, "I want to express my admiration and support for all of the brave people of Cuba, who are standing up against the vile communist regime, it’s not easy and we appreciate it and it’s gonna be changed." This has been interpreted as a hint that a regime change in Cuba would be one of his foreign policy positions should he be re-elected.

Protests abroad

Cuban-Americans living in Miami organized their own protests to show solidarity throughout March. On 17 March, dozens gathered outside the Versailles waving Cuban and American flags. On 19 March, protesters formed a human chain while on 24 March, they organized a brief march across a park in Little Havana.

References

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Protests
2024 protests
March 2024 in Cuba
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Democratization