Florida Democrats responded to Governor Ron DeSantis (R) sending support to anti-communist protesters in Cuba on Sunday by attacking the governor, seemingly comparing his administration to the Castro regime.
The Republican Party’s rising star posted on Twitter sharing a video of the protests, which took place throughout the island and news outlets estimate attracted thousands of people:
Florida supports the people of Cuba as they take to the streets against the tyrannical regime in Havana. The Cuban dictatorship has repressed the people of Cuba for decades & is now trying to silence those who have the courage to speak out against its disastrous policies #SOSCuba
Democrats largely responded by criticizing DeSantis for the anti-riot bill he signed into law in April, which increases penalties for people who participate in unruly protests. DeSantis passed the bill in response to Black Lives Matter protests that devolved into violence and looting in major cities across the nation last summer. Notably, Black Lives Matter was founded by “trained Marxists.” Marxism is the philosophical underpinning of communism, the ruling political system in Cuba, and has resulted in the deaths of at least 100 million people over several decades, as Breitbart News reported.
Unlike the Cuba protests on Sunday, the assemblies the DeSantis bill targets would involve violence on the part of participants, including vandalism, looting, and property destruction. Democrats appear to argue that DeSantis was being hypocritical by supporting peaceful protesters in Cuba while attempting to crack down on violent riots in the United States.
“Says the Governor who pushed through House Bill 1, a bill motivated as a means to silence racial justice protests,” State Rep. Anna V. Eskamani (D) tweeted.
“I support the Cuban people as they take to the streets & let their voices be heard & do everything they can’t do in Florida without it being labelled [sic] an ‘aggravated riot’ under Ron Desantis’s anti-protest law,” State Rep. Omari Hardy (D) wrote.
“@GovRonDeSantis made this type of protest illegal in Florida. He wants to silence dissent because he fears accountability,” tweeted Steve Simeonidis, who is the chair for Miami-Dade Democrats.
In response to Simeonidis, Republican communicator and former National Republican Senatorial Committee communications deputy Matt Whitlock criticized Democrats’ rhetoric.
He tweeted:
Fascinating strategy from a number of Florida Dems. Instead of supporting protestors in Cuba, they’re trying to argue DeSantis’s anti-rioting law would’ve prevented similar protests. It wouldn’t have, but a good window into why they’re losing the voters they’re losing.
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) also re-tweeted DeSantis in support of Cuban protesters and warned of communism’s insidious grasp in the United States.
He posted:
The same Communist rule the people of Cuba are valiantly protesting as we speak is the same Communism threatening to take hold in America today. May God protect the brave people protesting the tyrannical Cuban regime. May their long-awaited freedom prevail once & for all.
President Joe Biden released a statement on Monday claiming to “stand with the Cuban people” against their repressive communist regime. However, he failed to mention widespread reports of public gang beatings and live fire against unarmed protesters on the part of state security, Breitbart News reported. He also failed to condemn socialism and communism.
The leftist New York Times, which played a direct role in Fidel Castro’s takeover of Cuba, also erroneously reported the protests were about “food and medicine shortages,” even though local independent outlets documented protesters chanting “down with communism!”, “they [the regime] must leave,” and “fuck Díaz-Canel!”, among other anti-government statements.
The protests appeared to begin in the town of San Antonio de los Baños, western Cuba, on Sunday morning. Locals livestreamed the protest on Facebook, triggering an outpouring into the streets of at least 16 major cities including both Havana and Santiago de Cuba, on opposite ends of the island, Breitbart News reported.
So far, local outlets in Cuba are estimating hundreds of arrests. Bystanders recorded the sound of heavy gunfire in Havana and public beatings of dissidents. Miguel Díaz-Canel, the ‘president’ appointed by Raúl Castro, called for street “combat” against anyone demanding an end to the regime in a speech on Sunday.