Recent protests in Cuba have captured the attention of Americans as they watch socialism implode in real-time. The socialist regime has been abusing Cuban citizens for decades and is reaping a bitter harvest.

While leftist influencers and leaders continue to preach the gospel of Karl Marx in mainstream and social media, those who actually have to live with the monster he created are telling a different story. Tired of deprivation and repression, Cubans are marching in the streets for freedom from socialism.

You would never know this by listening to the messages coming from the Biden Administration, Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, and Black Lives Matter, you might think there was some other reason for Cubans to risk their lives at the hands of repressive authorities.

Disinformation from the Left

Julie Chang issued a tweet in the hours after protests began – the first U.S. government official believed to do so – claiming Cubans were actually calling for COVID ‘vaccines’ to help address the rising infection rate in the country. (American leaders like President Barack Obama praised the Cuban medical system in the past, though the reality for Cubans is much different.)

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, in her July 12 briefing, avoided using the words “socialism” and “communism” when answering questions about unrest in Cuba, but rather claimed protestors were speaking out against “economic mismanagement.”

To hear Ocasio-Cortez tell it, the reason why Cubans were not receiving medicine and food in the middle of a pandemic was the restrictive embargo the United States put in place 60 years ago. Nevermind that nearly 200 other nations – including Western economic powers Canada and Spain – are willing and able to openly trade with Cuba.

The Black Lives Matter organization – mainstream media darlings and authors of the ‘peaceful protests’ that caused $2 billion of property damage in 2020 – also put the blame for conditions in Cuba on the United States and praised the Communist “Revolution” that made the nation what it is today.

All of this was claimed despite reports Cuban protestors carried American flags and surrounded Communist Party headquarters shouting, “Cuba isn’t yours!” It’s clear Cubans are demanding liberty and democracy. But, as it always is with socialists, problems are caused by someone or something else – capitalism, racism, the United States – and never their own deadly ideologies.

The Truth About Socialism

Just as in many American cities, where high crime and poverty rates have decimated Democrat-led urban areas, it is leftist policies that are actually to blame for hopelessness and desperation in Cuba.

Let’s look at the numbers:

• The minimum wage for Cuban workers is $16.60 per month , which is even lower than the $65 per month minimum wage in Haiti (the poorest nation in the region). The average monthly salary in Cuba is only $44 per month, less that half the average in Haiti.
• Cuba has the fourth highest abortion rate in the world, with 38.25 percent of pregnancies terminated.
• One researcher estimates nearly 100,000 Cubans have died as a direct result of Communist rule (with only about 10,000 victims fully identified due to the secretive nature of the regime).
• More than 1.4 million Cubans have fled the country since the Castro Revolution of 1959, with about 1.2 million coming to the United States and more than 900,000 in Florida alone.

Communists have controlled and exploited Cuba for 60 years. Ordinary Cubans are unable to speak or associate freely, and have their basic necessities rationed while ruling elites live in luxury.

There is a reason why Cuban exiles in Miami and elsewhere danced in the streets after the death of dictator Fidel Castro in 2016. It is the same reason why the streets of Havana are full of passionate protestors in 2021. Socialism is an oppressive, corrupt, and murderous ideology. It yields nothing good – only despair and death.

Don’t Let It Happen in America

According to apologist Alex McFarland, Cuba has been deeply damaged by Marxist Communism – the final form of socialism – but many young people in this nation are being fed a different narrative.

“This worldview has harmed so many millions of lives, and the countries that have suffered under socialism, they’re doing their utmost to get away from it,” said McFarland. “Yet, in America, in our classrooms, halls of government, and newsrooms, they’re promoting socialism.”

According to Cuban expatriate Mario Sánchez, the recent events in Cuba should be a wakeup call for Americans:

The people have had enough. Perhaps what we see in the streets of Cuba is a harbinger of what could happen in America when we are fed up with the serial lies our government is feeding us.

What is shocking to me is how some Americans and one dominant U.S. political party actively advocate for socialism. The demonstrations today in Cuba are a godsend by showing firsthand, in real-time, what happens when socialism takes hold.

The demonstrations in Cuba offer a live view of what can happen to the United States if it accelerates socialist policies. [emphasis added]

In light of a small but vocal minority of radical leftists who are pushing similar socialist policies in the United States, it’s important that Americans take a principled stand for biblical truth and constitutional liberty. Call your members of Congress and the White House and let them know you support freedom for our neighbors in Cuba, and for the United States to continue shining as a beacon of liberty for people around the world.

Learn More

Visit our Research Center for great practical resources, including those on Free Enterprise vs. Socialism. Also, learn how you can become a Truth & Liberty Coalition member and join us in standing for truth in the public square.