Cuban Authorities Accuse U.S. of 'Inciting Protests' on Island

Protests against repression, hours of power cuts and food shortages took place in at least five Cuban cities on Sunday. The island blamed the American Embassy

The Cuban Foreign Ministry summoned the U.S. Chargé d'affaires, who heads the U.S. diplomatic mission, accusing Washington of seeking to foment a widespread anti-government uprising and interference in Cuba's internal affairs.

On Sunday, the White House's Platform X account released a statement saying the administration was monitoring the protests and calling on the Cuban government to "respect the rights of protesters and meet the legitimate demands of the Cuban people."

These comments led the Cuban Foreign Ministry to summon Chargé d'affaires Benjamin Sieff to meet with Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, "who has officially declared his strong opposition to the interventionist behavior of the [USA] government and defamatory reports," the ministry said in a statement.

A State Department spokesman said suggestions that Washington was behind the protests were "absurd."

The latest incident between the two longtime opponents underscores that Cuban-American relations have barely improved since President Joe Biden took office in 2021.

On Monday, Cuba's foreign ministry reiterated long-standing accusations that the U.S. Cold War-era embargo and other sanctions were aimed at impoverishing Cubans and destabilizing the country.

Sunday's protests, which Cuban officials described as "respectful," were the largest nightly protest since October 2022, when Hurricane Ian lost power on the island for almost a week.

Demonstrations are rare in Cuba, where dissent is not tolerated.

On Monday morning, news on state television showed reports from social media about the demonstrations, including those published by congressmen, accusing American “agitators” of slandering the Cuban authorities, claiming repression and exaggerating the scale of the protests in an effort to confuse the situation and inflame popular anger.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel also accused Washington of aggravating the situation in the country.

“Mediocre politicians and online terrorists have lined up from South Florida to warm up the streets of Cuba with interventionist messages and calls for chaos. They're out of business, Diaz-Canel said on Platform X.
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