Cubans have a right to be free, and the American people should support them.
On Sunday, July 11 of this year, we saw something in Cuba that we have never seen — protests in over fifty-two cities.
It is important to remember that this all started as a Facebook Live broadcast from one city that then spread throughout the country. It was organic. It was leaderless. It was not part of an organized effort.
It was just people who are tired and couldn’t take it anymore.
But this had been brewing for some time in Cuba. It began with the opening of the internet and with Cubans having access to information — websites and social media from all over the world — and the ability to communicate with one another.
Communist, socialist, Marxist dictators always use the same tactic: they keep people divided. They keep people from speaking to one another; they keep people separated from one another and unable to compare notes. What you are hearing now is people who are tired of living in a country where you cannot have your own opinion, where you cannot express yourself, where the government wants to control everything — everything you do and everything you say. They control where you live, control where you work, control how you can travel, control what kind of work you can do — and they hold it all over your head. Cubans are tired of it.
These protests were not about COVID. These protests were not about food shortages — Cuba has been dealing with food shortages forever, and COVID is spreading throughout the world.
These protests were about what the protesters said they were about — libertad, which means liberty.
The Cuban people want to live like Cubans live in Miami, and Tampa, and Orlando, and all over the United States and the world. They want to live free. They want to be able to pick their own leaders. They want to be able to work with their own hands and provide for their family.
And they want to live in a country where thinking differently than the people who are in charge is not a crime — particularly when the people who are in charge are people who you cannot replace and have no role in putting there whatsoever.
Justice, liberty, and freedom are the most noble causes any of us could be a part of, and we are inspired by what the people in Cuba are doing. We should continue to amplify their voice and support them in their cause.
They have a right to be free, and we should support them.
Senator Marco Rubio represents the state of Florida and sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
This opinion piece is adapted from an interview provided to the Daily Wire’s Morning Wire — a daily conservative news podcast that covers the latest developments in politics, culture, education, sports, and more.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.