Last Updated on July 17, 2021, 5:56 AM AST by Anthony Morris
Cuba Libre ‘was painted with giant block letters on the street directly in front of the Cuban embassy in Washington after unprecedented protests on the communist-led island this past weekend.
The phrase – which actually spells ‘free Cuba’ – has long been connected with both Cuban freedom from Spain and later the 1959 revolution.
It was not instantly clear who was behind the giant letters, whose format depicted the yellow ‘Black Lives Matter’ mural painted in 2020 in the street near the White House during US protests against racism and police brutality. That section of the street was later officially named ‘Black Lives Matter Plaza’.
Thousands of Cubans took part in demonstrations over deficiencies of basic goods, fighting for civil liberties, and dealing with the government in a surge in COVID-19 infections, in the largest unrest in decades in the Caribbean nation.
In the United States, and particularly in Florida, which has a huge community of Cuban exiles, demonstrators also held protests, calling Cuban flags and demanding change.
In the wake of the demonstrations, US President Joe Biden declared Cuba a ‘failed state’ that ‘oppresses its citizens’, dropping hopes that it would soon be able to lift crippling sanctions that contributed to the country’s worst economic crisis in decades.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
