Dear Editor,

During the middle of this month, November, Cuban counter-revolutionaries are expected to take to the streets to protest the Government of Cuba. The choice of this date is not by chance and has been selected in an attempt to embarrass the Cuban Government as the tourism sector is set to reopen around that time, following Cuba’s successful vaccination campaign.

The hope is to have the protests reported on international media so that tourists, in particular, and others, in general, will see that the Cuban Government is somehow authoritarian or not supported by the people.

We outside Cuba must not fall for the stunt put on by the counter-revolutionaries and therefore it is important that facts are brought forward to show that these protesters do not have the love of Cuba at heart.

These so-called protesters seek to encourage the tightening of illegal blockades, which rob Cuba of its patrimony. Nevertheless, the Government retains the support of the people and are nowhere near as authoritarian as those who oppose them.

The Cuban Constitution, which was reviewed at every stage by the people and, after intensive debate, ratified, guarantees the right of the citizens to protest. This right of expression which was approved by the people and signed off by the Government is however not a blank cheque to say anything or do anything. The same constitution which enshrines this right also states clearly that Cuba is a socialist country and that the right to protest does not include the right to call for foreign intervention, overthrow of the Government, or changes to Cuba’s social and economic model.

These would-be protesters are known to have not only accepted the funding of organisations which have called for the overthrow of the Cuban Government and other left-wing governments in the region, they have also openly engaged in workshops with these groups as they seek to coordinate their methods and learn from one another how to carry out actions such as those carried out by the far-right in Bolivia during and following the coup in that country.

The Cuban Constitution does not allow for this, the people will not allow this, and the Government, as the people’s representative, will follow through on their demands and defend the revolution.

These counter-revolutionaries who now cry for democracy and human rights are the same ones who bombed planes, set fire to Cuban sugar plantations before harvest, and actually launched an invasion – the Bay of Pigs – to overthrow a Government, whose only crime was, and remains, that it does not bow down to foreign powers and promote one class of society over another.

The propaganda war being waged against the Cuban people is aided by media houses that willingly print lies and untruths about the Cuban Government without even the slightest fact-check or rebuttal.

This is seen in a recent article in which a US State Department representative’s comments about the planned protests were printed with no mention of the fact that these groups are organised by the US, have support from US politicians in Florida, and are not supported by the people.

We must stand with the Cuban Revolution, particularly in these times. The Cuban Revolution with its spirit of internationalism, self-reliance, and standing up in the face of injustice is the very definition of independence, and that is why they want to overthrow it.

The Cuban people will not allow that to happen, and led by the governing communist party they will ensure that the successes of the revolution are defended against counter-revolutionaries as they continue on their chosen path towards socialism and a better future.

Alexander Scott

alexanderwjscott90@gmail.com