Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Protesters in Cuba Send a Message to President Obama By Wearing These Masks

Protesters in Cuba Send a Message to President Obama By Wearing These Masks
BY JOE PERTICONE

Nearly 90 individual activists were arrested in Cuba on Sunday, just
days ahead of Secretary of State John Kerry's expected visit to the new
American embassy on communist island-nation.

According to Agence France-Presse, Cuban security forces engaged and
arrested 40 or so activists who were marching through Havana wearing
masks depicting President Obama.

Angel Moya, a former political prisoner, as AFP notes, placed blame on
the U.S. president's normalization efforts as a partial culprit to the
crackdowns on free expression:

"It's [Obama's] fault, what is happening… That's why we have this mask
on. Because it's his fault."
In addition, at least 50 protestors affiliated with "Ladies in White," a
group founded by the wives of jailed dissidents, were arrested by Cuban
government forces.

But despite the recent wave of crackdowns, Kerry maintains that
diplomatic relations are an absolute necessity, citing previous
relations with other Cold War foes. In an interview with NPR's Steve
Inskeep, Kerry said:

"I mean, we had diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union; we had
diplomatic relations with then-called Red China. We have to have
relationships with countries to do business, and American citizens get
hurt when we don't do that."
Kerry is expected to visit Havana on Friday, marking a historical change
to decades of U.S. policy towards Cuba. His visit, which will include a
ceremony at the newly-minted embassy in Havana, will be the first trip
to Cuba by a Secretary of State in 70 years.

Source: Protesters in Cuba Send a Message to President Obama By Wearing
These Masks -
http://www.ijreview.com/2015/08/388749-dissidents-arrested-cuba-message-president-obama-check-wearing/

No comments:

Post a Comment