Díaz-Canel: May Unity, Respect and Love of Life Never be Lacking Among Cubans

The First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic yesterday called for the unity of Cubans and respect among Cubans, freeing ourselves of any feelings of hatred, while demanding compliance with the norms that guarantee social tranquility in our society

Author: Alina Perera Robbio | perera@juventudrebelde.cu

July 14, 2021 11:07:09

Photo: Estudio Revolución

During a meeting of the COVID-19 prevention and control national task force yesterday afternoon, the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, called for "the unity of Cubans, and respect among Cubans, freeing ourselves of any feelings of hatred, while demanding compliance with the norms that guarantee social tranquility in our society."

Also in attendance were Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz and the President of the National Assembly of People’s Power, Esteban Lazo Hernández.

Diaz-Canel referred to the current situation in the country, marked by a dangerous new wave of COVID-19, the brutally tightened U.S. blockade and disturbances by small counterrevolutionary groups orchestrated from abroad.

He explained to those present at the meeting and authorities in all provinces and the special municipality via videoconference, that there must be clarity about the programs with which the enemy “intends to destabilize our country, and how they are being sorely disappointed."

The President recalled all that has been done in the COVID battle and efforts to keep the economy going despite the epidemic’s impact, aggravated by escalating economic aggression on the part of the United States, adding, "We do not always achieve all the results we need since we do not have the necessary resources, because of the blockade," but our objective continues to be "the real prosperity we want for our people."

The motivations that move the efforts of Cuba in Revolution, our efforts, he said, "disrupt, destroy all the perversity of the empire’s plans, the plans of the Cuban-American mafia that is determined to prevent the revival of a dialogue of respect, of equals, without restrictive measures, without coercive measures between two countries that are very different ideologically, but are geographically close and could develop a fully civilized relationship, based on mutual respect. These, he stressed, are the arguments, the convictions that we must continue defending… reiterating our conviction and our truths.”

Referring to recent disturbances, the President noted, "The calls on social networks are totally aggressive, calling for murder, calling for lynching, threatening, calling for the destruction of facilities, calling for attacks against people's homes, and in particular against persons identified as revolutionaries."

"In other words, this talk that the government is repressing peaceful demonstrations, or the requests that Cuba or the government respect the opinion of its citizens is a total lie and a total slander. Those who are demonstrating are not demonstrating peacefully. They are motivated by the hatred that has been instilled in them by the strategy of subversion so outrageously mounted, so perverse, so maliciously promoted on social networks."

“This is media terrorism…and we will be denouncing those who have joined these campaigns for supporting terrorism," he said.

"If anyone should be on a list of terrorists, or of countries that support terrorism, it should be those who have lent themselves to this little game of the empire’s. But, we must be very calm, patient and serene."

Díaz-Canel explained that those who have perpetrated media terrorism "have used the very demonstrations in support of the Revolution, as if they were against the Revolution," even using photographs of events in other countries, that have nothing to do with Cuba. He cited a photo of a demonstration in Egypt and one of soccer fans in Argentina celebrating their victory in the Copa America, posted as anti-government protest in Cuba. “This is so ridiculous,” he said, “but it poisons and the worst thing is that we have people who are so taken with all this that they believe the information. This is why I believe we must be very coherent, we must continue denouncing what occurs on the social networks, and not to let ourselves be poisoned."

He noted the real objective of those who are perpetrating this media terrorism, pointing out that Cuba’s enemies are attempting to create a situation of chaos, rock throwing, street barricades and all the phenomena they have instigated in other countries, which are outlined in the famous U.S. manual describing how soft coups, and their different phases, are conducted.

"We must continue working to eliminate the vestiges of delinquency we have, the vestiges we may have of indecent behavior; we must continue advancing with our social programs, which have been hit hard by the economic-financial situation, and the political will to work on this is there, but we cannot lower our guard...Wherever revolutionary vigilance exists, there will be no place for provocations, counterrevolutionary propaganda or vandalism. And sometimes we are obliged to take action in the face of this aggression; we must act firmly, but always avoiding any danger to human lives."

The First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic called for “the unity of Cubans and respect among Cubans, freeing ourselves of any feelings of hatred… while demanding compliance with the norms that guarantee social tranquility in our society. And we will see, when at another time we evaluate what this moment meant and what they wanted to do to Cuba and our people, how many lies, how much hatred, how much viciousness, how much malice was calculated for all this."