‘Imperialist News Agencies Incite Social Uprising’ in Cuba

By 14ymedio

HAVANA TIMES –Three European media outlets have been added to the list of imperialist press headed by CNN, according to the Cuban government. The British BBC, the Spanish agency EFE, and the French France Presse “do not tire of inciting from within their pages a social uprising that would justify the much-desired military intervention from the White House,” signaled the official newspaper Granma this Thursday.

The state-run press, which now intends to deactivate 15N (15 November) by broadcasting the message that it does not have support from within the Island, accused these international media outlets, which also include the Miami-based daily, El Nuevo Herald, of “legitimizing the provocative actions of internal mercenary ‘pacifists’, blind with hate and vengeance”. In addition, Granma classifies these agencies and television chains as “mainstream”, unlike in Cuba where all legal print, radio and TV media is controlled by the State.

In the same, rather long article titled, “The counterrevolutionaries will not have a platform in Cuba,” the Communist Party daily uses various testimonies of farm workers who oppose the marches and praise the Revolution and Fidel Castro.

“We will not allow them a new July 11th,” begins the text. The phrase is attributed to a farmer from Playa, in Havana, although it sums up the authorities’ decision to impede the civic marches organized by the Archipelago collective for the 15th of November, moved forward as the initial date –November 20th–coincided with a suddenly created National Defense Day.

Several messages shared on social media maintain that the Government intends to mobilize Cuban citizens against the marches through two means: virtual and physical. Archipelago published several screen shots that presumably show messages from university group chats attempting to organize an online strategy to support other efforts.

On Whatsapp, users carefully study the words of artist Yunior García, one of the organizers of the marches, and also an organizer of Archipelago itself, to “deconstruct his speech.” The objective, according to one message, “is not to prevent the march but to prevent more people from joining”.

Another screen grab circulating among organizers contains messages from a young high school student who confirms that in his school they have been obligated –though he adds that he and one other student refused-, to join “rapid response groups” which will carry sticks “to defend themselves”. In the exchange, the student maintains that they were told that on the 15th, they should also wear an armband.

Though the source of both messages is unknown, at Archipelago they do not doubt their veracity and though they fear the regime’s response, they will maintain their position to the end. “On November 15th our personal decision will be to march civically and peacefully for our rights. Facing authoritarianism, we will respond with civility and more civility”, they said on Wednesday.

The government’s idea is to demotivate those who are questioning whether they will join the march, at least, that is what is all over the Granma article. With other testimonies they intend to add the support of laborers and farmers, united for the Revolution.

“The primary mission of farmers, to wave our flag and our accomplishments very high, is to continue producing food. That should be how we resolve our problems today,” signaled one of the producers of the Havana-based cooperative. Its president joins the discussion. “With the victory of ’59 our sector gained rights, prestige, and morale. Now it is our duty to support the Revolution, producing, offering nourishment to the people.”

The sector is held as an example by Granma that true patriots are those who work to feed Cubans, thus they highlight that this cooperative has surpassed its production target this year, achieving 123% of the planned production.

“The majority of us are in favor of the revolution. I am convinced that our young people have the same opinion. Twenty or thirty young people who work with me share my ideals because we’re all trained under the wings of our socialist society, with its defects, but essential,” says the successful large-scale milk producing cooperative. Nonetheless, milk is scarce and in Havana, for example, they’ve had to restrict access to milk and dairy products.

The Communist Party’s daily paper also approached the National Center for the Production of Laboratory Animals, where it supposedly encountered many others opposed to the demonstrations on 15N from employees to whom “the much-demanded march seems shameful, nothing more than another strategy with no benefit for the people.”

“They tried to defeat us in Giron (Bay of Pigs 1961) and they continue trying to this day, with the economic blockade and all their measures, but they have not been able to handle us. They choose to ignore our years of history, as a result, they don’t learn that Cuba will never surrender,” says the chief of the company’s Technology Surveillance Department.

Granma has also found a young woman, 24, who, in contrast to many of her generation who have chosen to leave the Island, chose to praise the State model imposed for more than six decades. “As militants, as workers who have seen the revolutionary actions and vocation which the Cuban people have maintained for more than 60 years, we will always follow the ideals of Fidel.”

According to the text, all these voices “are not a manipulated minority”, but just in case, the government won’t allow any polling to test which side the majority supports.

Read more from Cuba here on Havana Times.