How can you improve your internet speed? For example, if you’re making a simple video call to your extended family, a good speed is somewhere between 0.5-1.5 Mbps. The Cuban government responded to the demonstrations with a crackdown, making hundreds of arrests and charging at least 710 Cubans with crimes, including sedition; some demonstrators were given lengthy prison sentences in trials criticized by Amnesty International, activists and families as unfair. According to the Miami Herald, the Cuban government has historically refused or seized aid coming from Cuban exiles. United States government imposed new sanctions on Cuban officials. Promised economic reforms, which according to NBC News’ Carmen Sesin were needed and were another cause of discontent alongside the embargo, did not materialize, in part because of the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic according to the Cuban government. The government called the protests counter-revolutionary. Some Cuban exiles and Florida politicians have called for military United States foreign intervention.
According to Lillian Guerra, professor of Cuban history at the University of Florida, the food shortages and high prices were the result of government spending money on building hotels and tourists facilities. Following Díaz-Canel’s statements, about 300 government supporters arrived at El Capitolio; the Miami Herald reported that one Associated Press (AP) cameraman was assaulted by these counter-protesters, while a separate AP photographer was injured by police. The Miami Herald and The Wall Street Journal described the vaccine rollout process as delayed and slow, and said it angered some Cubans and prompted their calls for more vaccines. The government’s curbs and clampdowns on Cubans’ civil liberties has prompted resentment. Protesters’ motivations included resentment at the Cuban government’s authoritarianism and curbs on civil liberties, the government’s COVID-19 pandemic lockdown rules, the government’s failure to follow through on promised economic and political reforms. Protesters were also angered by the poor state of the Cuban economy. Measures adopted by the government during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as closed borders and no tourism, have also been praised for having reduced the number of COVID-19 infections but were very strict and did not help the economy in such times of crisis.
The Cuban government recognized the crisis describing it as “very complex” but rejected a proposed humanitarian corridor and described the campaign as an attempt to misrepresent the situation. Younger Cubans comprised the majority of protesters, while some members of older generations responded to demonstrations, assisting Cuban authorities. Authorities blocked access to social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, and Instagram. Due to the evolving crises, a social media campaign using the hashtags SOSCUBA and SOSMATANZAS was initiated to collect money, medical materials, food, and other supplies to be sent to Cuba. For Sesin, 인터넷 가입 Cuba has received praise for providing its citizens of important primary care and basic needs, but the government also limits their freedom in several ways, such as controlling food, internet, and wages prices, and having a lack of freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, and multi-party elections. Gutiérrez asked the United States government to lead an international intervention to prevent protesters from being “victims of a bloodbath” (baño de sangre). During the protests, as the government shut down access to several social media websites, over one million protesters began using the tool Psiphon.
Opposition media outlets such as Radio y Televisión Martí have published social media videos of protests in Malecón, Havana, Santiago de Cuba, Santa Clara, Ciego de Ávila, Camagüey, Bayamo, Guantánamo, San José de las Lajas, Holguín, and Cárdenas. In videos circulated on social media, people were seen throwing stones at police, while reports of authorities beating demonstrators were heard. Many international figures called for dialogue, asking that the Cuban authorities respect the protesters’ freedom of assembly and peaceful demonstrations. AP photographer Ramon Espinosa was detained by authorities as well. During a live interview with the Spanish television program Todo es mentira, Cuban YouTuber and activist Dina Stars was detained by Cuban security officers. San Antonio residents reported that the police repressed protesters and detained certain participants. The San Isidro Movement called on the protesters to march to Malecón. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla labeled the protesters as vandals. Diubis’ mother committed suicide few days later after his death. Cuba’s Ministry of Interior stated that it “mourns the death” of a 36-year-old man named as Diubis Laurencio Tejeda, who had taken part in the protests. So, how do we address those challenges, and who is responsible? Cuban dissidents have placed the responsibility on the government’s economic policies and human rights abuses.