-Communist Party of Cuba First Secretary and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel, appeared on Cuban television, yesterday evening, and stated, “Peace and citizen tranquility, respect and solidarity among compatriots and others in need around the world, saving Cuba to continue building, growing, dreaming and achieving the greatest possible prosperity. This is our message to our people.”
- If they remove the blockade, if they leave us alone and allow us to act with our own talent, we can achieve prosperity and expand the Revolution’s immense work for social justice, he insisted.
- We have not been able to address many of the people’s dissatisfactions, because of the blockade, among other factors, he said.
- In the midst of fake news reports and perverse manipulation regarding Cuba, he noted that Army General Raúl Castro Ruz is present, ready to support the Revolution, with his boots on and a foot in the stirrup.
- He added that the way social networks are being used to attack Cuba constitutes media terrorism.
- We cannot allow them to disunite us, to divide us, he said.
- The First Secretary referred to Fidel’s words in 1992: Difficult times are difficult times; in difficult times the number of people wavering increases. In difficult times – and this is a law of history – there are those who become confused, there are those who become discouraged, there are those who are intimidated, there are those who become soft, there are those who betray, there are those who desert. We cannot allow those who do not want the best for our land to disunite us, to divide us. But it is also in difficult times that men and women are tested; it is in difficult times that those who are worth something are really tested,” and Diaz-Canel added: “Our people are worth something; they are worth a lot and will act in this way, fearlessly, with courage and determination. This people will never lack patriotic virtues.
- We are calling for peace, understanding and harmony, the President reiterated.
- We are going to defend the Revolution, whatever the cost, we are calling for harmony and for no one to allow hatred to be introduced. Let us not allow anyone to divide us. Our problems will be solved by Cubans. We call for the unity of the entire Cuban family, our institutions and the people… This is a country of security and tranquility, Díaz-Canel insisted.

(Taken from Granma)

Displaying colossal hypocrisy, he repeated the Trump administration’s script, rushing to invest as “legitimate” the groups of vandals who disturbed the peace and public order in Cuba, this past Sunday, July 11.

Party Political Bureau member and Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, on Monday denounced the complicit words of U.S. President Joe Biden, who called on the “regime” in Havana to “hear the Cuban people” and “serve their needs at this vital moment.”

Rodríguez agreed that it would be a good idea for Biden to listen to the Cuban people who have demonstrated against the blockade, and that he should also hear the U.S. citizens calling for an end to hostile policies toward Cuba, and eliminate the 243 measures implemented during the Trump adminsitration.

The latest example of the cynicism of the U.S. government with regard to Cuba is the launching of new programs for “the promotion of democracy,” which, just a few days ago, were granted another two million dollars for counterrevolution on the island, in addition to the more than 20 million allocated previously.

(Taken from Granma)

On speaking online at the Ministerial NAM Conference, the foreign minister warned of the threats and actions in violation of international law undertaken with the purpose of ending the sovereignty of territories. On a video, the FM shared on his official Twitter account, the diplomat condemned the use of force and the escalation of unilateral coercive measures applied to nations.

‘The growing threats against our countries evidence, as never before, the need to preserve the NAM and mobilize it to face the pressing global challenges and advance in the construction of a fair, democratic and equitable international order,’ the head of Cuba´s diplomacy sentenced.

The Ministerial Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement took place online from July 13 to today, under the slogan: ‘The Non-Aligned Movement at the Center of Multilateral Efforts to Combat Global Challenges.’

On Tuesday, Rodriguez denounced on a press conference a communicational operation undertaken against Cuba mainly through social networks, with the artificial amplification of messages and the use of false accounts to encourage an alleged humanitarian intervention in the country.

The FM detailed that this operation has been taking place for some time, with multimillionaire resources, laboratories, technological platforms and funds from the US government.

According to the Cuban authorities, the nation is under the effects of an unconventional war, lately intensified, which promotes destabilization actions such as those occurred on July 11 in several cities of Cuba.

To fight against those disturbances, the people took to the streets in defense of the Revolution.

(Taken from Prensa Latina)

“We are here because the streets belong to Fidel, because the streets of Cuba belong to revolutionaries.” This was the phrase we heard the loudest walking along several Havana avenues Sunday afternoon, July 11, when an entire people came out to defend their Revolution.

We heard it, for example, in front of the Capitol, seat of the National Assembly of People’s Power, and along Prado down to the waterfront Malecon. We heard it up to Belascoaín, and along Carlos III, where neighbors gathered, waving flags and, above all, ideas.

A woman shouted from her balcony, “Viva la Revolución!” and “Viva Cuba Libre!” Her voice joined those of many younger residents who, on the street below, waved the 26th of July Movement flag and repeated, louder and louder, clearer and clearer: “Fidel, Raúl and Díaz-Canel are here,” “Patria o Muerte, Venceremos” (Homeland or Death, We will win).

We heard it along Infanta, from women and men, Cubans with few and many years of age, all with the same conviction: a country like ours, with so many dreams and more than a few pains, is defended tooth and nail, knowing that, as the poet said, “For this freedom/ beautiful as life/ we must give our all/ if necessary/ even the shadow/ and it will never be enough.”

We heard it from Julio Alejandro Gómez, a blogger who joined the honest demands of those who love and create and took to the streets, “because I am a revolutionary and I know that this is a manipulation. They want to take advantage of our needs and problems to apply the same formula of ‘social unrest’ that they have used in other countries; but with Cuba there are no formulas that work. The Revolution belongs to the people and is defended by the people.”

We heard Alberto Bermudez, who lives on Infanta, and in the midst of the racket, hummed “I die as I lived” with a group of buddies and, soon thereafter, it was the notes of the national anthem they offered.

“Unity and continuity,” others shouted, while Alberto interrupted his song to affirm, “Fidel, this is your people, and the streets belong to the people. The order has been given and we are here. We are going to win, in spite of COVID-19, in spite of whatever.”

The same phrases, shouted along the way, led our group of reporters to Alfredo Vázquez, provincial secretary of the Federation of Cuban Workers in Havana, who was injured in one of the confrontations with the “destabilizers.”
Foto: Ricardo López Hevia

“They hit me hard on the head and I ended up with a seven-stitch gash. But here I am, my flag stained with blood, ready to continue defending the Revolution, because to die for the Homeland is to live,” he insisted without slowing his pace, just like Cuba, the land of revolutionaries who are never intimidated.

And there beside Via Blanca, Faustino Leonard, a resident of Cerro municipality, also spoke to us about the day, with the remains of rocks thrown still on the street.

“The quarrel was tough here, but there were more revolutionaries. The saboteurs ran away to hide, probably to some cave, like rats usually do. Let no one doubt it, this country belongs to the people, and will continue to belong to us.”

(Taken from Granma)