 So I want to take some time to discuss what's happening in Cuba by now I'm sure that you are well aware of the fact that massive protests have indeed erupted in Cuba and this really is substantial It's significant and I think it's an issue that a lot of people need to Inform themselves on but the issue is that in the United States where propaganda is so prevalent on any news network regardless of which one you tune into you're gonna see Disingenuous opportunistic bad-faith actors apply a solution to the problem here before they even actually accurately assess the problems That led to the protests in the first place This is also going to be used to demonize the American left because since Cuba is socialist and a lot of leftists Self-identify as socialist then automatically this is proof That you know your worldview is a failure So regardless of you know What is happening in Cuba? The narrative is still going to be predetermined, right? So it's incumbent on leftists such as myself to push back on these narratives that are harmful and also violent because any calls for Imperialism and intervention that is inherently violent and is bad for the people of Cuba But before we get to any of that let's just establish some basic facts So we have you know Somewhere to begin as Ben Burgess of Jackman explains on Sunday the largest anti-government protests in at least 27 years broke out in Cuba Thousands of people marched in the streets chanting slogans others overturned police cars or looted stores It's far too early to make definitive pronouncements about the political character of these protests quite likely the people in the streets Represent a mixture of factions with very different complaints and long-term agendas One thing that is clear is that shortages in food medicine electricity and other basic goods Where the immediate spark for the protests the stores that have been looted are controversial because they sell expensive products to foreigners Who can pay in currency that most Cubans don't possess? American politicians who long to topple the Cuban government have been pointing to these conditions as they call for intervention And these lawmakers are the individuals who I was referencing at the beginning of this video They don't necessarily care. What's taking place? They see that pain and suffering is happening and people are being deprived of basic Necessities and they think okay. Well now's the time this justifies US intervention And there's several examples of this Val Dennings a Democrat tweeted out America stands for freedom We must stand with the peaceful demonstrators in Cuba as they struggle for their not only freedom from tyranny and dictatorship But freedom from disease poverty and corruption the White House must move swiftly freedom shawl and must prevail So it's correct that there are food and medicine shortages in Cuba currently But Val Dennings doesn't necessarily seem to care about why this is happening She's just saying look all I know is that we have to move swiftly to liberate the people of Cuba But she's not alone because Marco Rubio a warmonger tweeted out protests in Cuba aren't simply about shortages Socialism promises guaranteed food medicine and income if you give up your freedom when as always it fails to deliver You don't get your freedom back. That's why the protesters are chanting Libertad so for individuals like Marco Rubio the protests serve to propaganda purposes first of all It gives you know the United States government a justification to invade Cuba But on top of that it also can be an indictment on Socialism so that way anyone who identifies as a socialist Bernie Sanders AOC They're inherently bad because we just saw what happens in practice with a socialist government any failing of Cuba is also a Blemish on the record of United States Politicians and any leftist who is a socialist except that's not true contrary to popular belief Socialism and authoritarianism these are not inextricably linked in fact socialism calls for freedom in the workplace But I mean if we're gonna blame socialism here then we can also be disingenuous on the left and we can say all right Well capitalism is to blame as well because it's a fact that the United States government has at least in part if we're being Really charitable here contributed to the pain and suffering of the Cuban people now The president of Cuba is in fact placing blame on the United States for the country's current situation blaming the United States as policies of Economic quote Exphyxiation and guess what he's not wrong because what's happening in Cuba is bad And there's a reason why people are taking to the streets. They actually are Suffering currently because this is what they're dealing with as Julia Conley of common dreams explains as the economists reported earlier this month Food exports from the US to Cuba which imports about 70% of its food and relies heavily on goods exported from the United States Recently reached their lowest level since 2002 last month the intercept reported that the decades-long US trade embargo against Cuba as well as Sanctions imposed by the Trump administration and kept in place by President Joe Biden has kept Cuba from accessing critical foreign-made medical Supplies to treat its own Population during the pandemic even as Cuba sent more than 2000 medical professionals to help fight the global crisis in other countries according to the intercept large shipments of ventilators of masks and syringes have been unable to reach Cuba Since the pandemic began due to companies financial ties to the United States Days before leaving office former president Donald Trump designated Cuba as one of four state sponsors of international terrorism along with North Korea Iran and Syria the Biden administration has not lifted the designation which restricts Cuba's access to International financing as its economy emerges from a massive recession having slid 11% in 2020 the intercept reported So there's a lot of things that are contributing to the pain and suffering of the Cuban people But anyone who oversimplifies the situation and simply blame socialism. This is not someone who is an honest actor This is not someone who you should take seriously So for those of you who don't know Cuba right now is dealing with economic austerity because one of their main resources Has been cut off from them due to a global pandemic. So tourism Tourism revenue from that is down and on top of that COVID-19 cases have exploded when they've been handling this pretty well up until this point So you have that and additionally you have this embargo So that way when the pandemic actually gets serious and spreads throughout Cuba. Well, what we're doing We're stopping the country from getting basic medical supplies and food. So we are the ones who are hurting Cuba So if you're gonna blame the Cuban government for mishandling the COVID-19 pandemic and for the economic issues that the country is facing You would be disingenuous. You would be a liar I would argue to not address what we've done our role in this So for anyone who you know responds to this by saying we stand with the Cuban people Unless their statement is accompanied with an explicit call to end the US embargo They're not serious and the worst example comes from Joe Biden who tweeted out We stand with the Cuban people as they bravely assert their fundamental and universal rights And as they all call for freedom and relief from the tragic grip of the pandemic and from the decades of repression and economic suffering But I mean the very first response to this tweet points out 184 countries voted to end the destructive US embargo on Cuba to voted to keep it the United States and Israel and the blockade or Shut the fuck up and that's exactly correct if Joe Biden isn't actually going to end the US embargo Then anything he says with regard to the concern that he's expressing for the Cuban people It's a flat-out blatant lie, right? And rather than actually moving towards ending the embargo our government is now tacitly threatening The Cuban government warning Cuba against violence targeting protesters now It is the case that Cuba is a dictatorial regime. They are an authoritarian government, right? They don't really allow first amendment freedoms that we have in the United States freedom of speech They're more authoritarian in terms of you know shutting down the internet That's what they've done in response to these protests and that's all that's all terrible. That's bad However for the United States to say oh, well, you know what? We're warning you you better not be violent against your protesters. That's really funny Considering the way that we respond to protests here in the United States where we actually have constitutional guarantees That uphold our freedom of speech, right? I mean, of course you have states criminalizing BDS you have Republican governors decriminalizing protesters being run over and as Mac good politic guy points out once again cops in the United States We're literally intentionally running over protesters last summer and as J. Cole adds the Standing Rock water protectors Would like a word with the administration. Yeah, so imagine a situation if you know Cuba responded to the way that the United States treated protesters that erupted after the death of George Floyd after he was murdered You know protesters in so many cities took to the streets and Imagine if Cuba said we are warning the United States government to not respond with violence to its protesters Or we're gonna intervene. I mean, that's not that's not what the United States is saying explicitly But that's the subtext, right? That's the implication Imagine if Cuba said that to us and that's not to say that the Cuban government is justified in cracking down on protests and shutting off Access to the internet but to suggest that their treatment of protesters is further Justification that we should intervene in any way shape or form is incorrect here what we need to do if we truly care about the people of Cuba is and the embargo