Cuban American Leader on Historic Anti-Communist Uprising

The unprecedented, large-scale anti-communist government protests in Cuba have been going on for five days. What is the current situation? Why did this historic uprising happen now? Is it related to the United States' Cuban policy? Could this lead to the change of the 62-year communist regime in Cuba? Dr. Orlando Gutierrez is the Coordinator of the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance, a coalition of Cuban anti-communist groups inside and outside Cuba. Let's get his insights on these questions. Dr. Gutierrez, welcome to our show. Thank you, Cathy, for having me on. All right. So, you know, about what's going on in Cuba, the whole world has eyes on it. So, please tell us, what's the current situation? There is a national uprising of the Cuban people throughout the island. Young people have gone to the streets. They're protesting. They're demanding the end of the regime. They're calling for freedom, for liberty. They want a new homeland. They want a new start. They want the Communist Party to lead power. The uprising has continued heroically for five days. Today, we're still getting reports of youth protests in Cuba. The Cuban dictator, Miguel Díaz-Canel, I shouldn't call him Cuban dictator, the communist dictator, Díaz-Canel, has issued what they call the call to combat, which is an order to all the Communist Party, special forces, and paramilitaries to go into the street and use extreme violence to put down the protests. People are being shot on the streets. People are being killed in their homes. There are home to home searches. There are thousands of people who've been arrested. It is a terrible situation of massive repression. Wow. So, according to your observation and your insights, why this is happening in Cuba right now? It's happening because it's six to two years of tyranny. It's happening because people want to live in freedom. It's happening because U.S. sanctions have been effective in undermining the regime's ability to repress. It's happening because young Cubans have been organizing with other members of the population for many months, looking for the right moment to make their struggle known and to make their fight for freedom known through peaceful means. They are carrying out a national uprising for freedom with substantial support from all sectors of the population, demanding the liberation of Cuba, demanding freedom for their country. The regime has also imposed severe restrictions on food production by farmers. They have repressed, they have persecuted the farmers in Cuba, the independent agricultural workers, and therefore food is not getting to the markets because of the regime practices. But the people aren't asking for medicine. They're not asking for food. They're asking for freedom. They're asking to be released from the grip of the Communist Party. And that is a very powerful and noble effort. It's about freedom. It's about liberty. It's about change. It's about not having to live under a one-party repressive state every single day of your life. For change, the uprising will continue. Every day they manage to remain in uprising is a day closer we are to freedom. And we need the international initiative, the international intervention of the democratic community in defense of the Cuban people, and to bring that regime to an end. That intervention must have several aspects, facilitating internet, which the Chinese Communist government has interfered or brought down to defend the Castro regime in Cuba. It must consist of support for the resistance organizations, but also of the president's willingness to have all the options on the table. Strategic military strikes, if necessary, as was done in Serbia and other countries to support the peaceful protests. Again, the struggles inside Cuba, our people have been in an uprising for the past five days. That is a heroic deed, knowing the kind of repressive state there is in Cuba. But knowing what these killing machines are like in the communist countries, knowing what they've done in Hong Kong, and knowing what they've done in Nicaragua and Syria and Venezuela, it is imperative that Cubans have decisive support from the United States and the world democratic community. So talking about the role of the United States government, the U.S. has been kept an embargo to the Cuban government for many years. So how do you see the effect? Because you said that it shows that the U.S. policy actually is working. So could you elaborate on that? Yes. The Trump sanctions, which President Biden has maintained, targeted directly the economic infrastructure of the military and the repressive bodies of the Castro regime. Since these banks and companies were targeted with sanctions, it has become much more difficult for the military and the repressive machine to generate their money, deposit in international banks, circulate their assets. So they've been suffering from a lack of funds with which to maintain the network of informants, which allows a communist party to function in power in a totalitarian manner. The sanctions wear down the repressive apparatus. And every time the Cuban people have seen a chance to be able to rise and fight, they've done so. Never on the scale that we're seeing now in over 30 cities, a national uprising of so many Cubans for freedom. And that is because sanctions have weakened this deadly regime. Now we must protect the people of Cuba from this killer regime, this murderous regime, which has a long history of crimes against humanity. What's more, right now on the streets of Cuba, crimes against humanity are taking place. People being kidnapped from their homes by security forces, shooting into crowds, murder of people, disappearances of activists. We have to stop it. So actually, in the United States, the Black Lives Matters just issued a statement calling on U.S. government to end the embargo and claiming that the ban on the commercial activity in Cuba is inhumane. So how do you see that? They're wrong in what they're calling for, and they're showing their support for the communist regime in Cuba. What is inhumane is to support a regime that has oppressed, that has put people in concentration camps, that has killed thousands of Cubans, that has political prisoners, that doesn't allow any independent media, that allows no other political party. What is inhumane is to wish for this kind of murderous regime to continue ruling over Cubans. What is in line with the principles of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is to help that civic struggle in Cuba overthrow this regime. Do you foresee the U.S. government, by demonstration, would do any change to the embargo, the sanctions due to the pressures from such as Black Lives Matters? It is our hope that President Biden does not lift any sanctions, that he listens to the Cuban-American vote, that he listens to the many people in the U.S. who want the liberation of Cuba, and the sanctions be kept in place. So you mentioned the Chinese Communist Party's role in Cuba. So could you elaborate on that? Yes. Many U.S. media sources, starting with Newsweek, are reporting that the Chinese government took an active part in bringing down the Internet so as to prevent information from leaving Cuba and coming back into Cuba. How do you think the significance or the role of the Internet communication has played in this uprising? Internet is very important. I think social media has played a role in this uprising. It is an important element of resistance. But it's most effective when it's in tandem, when it goes together with other activities, other initiatives. And you can't rule the military initiatives in whatever form they may take. You can't take them off the table. You need them when you're confronting a vicious, repressive, killer regime like this one. Right. So right now the regime has called for combat, as you mentioned. So from the source of information that you can get from Cuba, how are the young people, people who are protesting, resisting, how they are reacting? They're still carrying out marches. They're still on the streets. They're still painting signs. They're still trying to do whatever they can to show their resistance to this vicious regime. How do you see, could this uprising make the change to the regime? I think this national rising could mean the end of the Castro regime if they receive, continue to receive international support and solidarity. So what would be the best way to help with the Cuban people and Cuba as a country? Denounce the communist regime. Demonstrate in front of the Castro regime embassies around the world. Insist on supporting sanctions against the members of the regime. Support the use of decisive force, even if it's military, in support and defense of the Cuban people and to end the communist regime in Cuba. Call for a comprehensive series of measures, including internet, in support of the people. Most importantly, to keep the pressure on. Statements, meetings, rallies, wherever you can in the world to support the struggle of the Cuban people. Thank you. Thank you very much for this interview. Thank you so much. Bye.