President Joe Biden on Monday urged Cuba’s communist government to “hear” protesters demanding an end to “repression” and poverty. “We stand with the Cuban people and their clarion call for freedom and relief from the tragic grip of the pandemic and from the decades of repression and economic suffering to which they have been subjected by Cuba’s authoritarian regime,” Biden said in a statement. But the island has significant weight on US politics, with Cuban Americans a formidable presence in the important electoral state of Florida. On Sunday, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan warned Cuba against a crackdown on the protesters. “The US supports freedom of expression and assembly across Cuba, and would strongly condemn any violence or targeting of peaceful protesters who are exercising their universal rights,” he tweeted.

Source: The Guardian July 12, 2021 14:48 UTC