(CLO) Top leaders and tens of thousands of Cubans joined a protest in front of the US Embassy in Havana on Friday (December 20), to protest the decades-long US embargo against Cuba.
The event comes in the final weeks of President Joe Biden's administration, amid concerns from the Cuban government that harsher policies could be imposed under President-elect Donald Trump.
The demonstration took place on the Malecón coastal road, in front of the US Embassy, led by former Cuban President General Raul Castro and President , First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, second from left, and former President Raul Castro, center, wave as they arrive for a protest against the U.S. embargo and to demand that Cuba be removed from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, in Havana, Cuba on December 20, 2024. (Photo courtesy of AP, not for re-release)
Protesters chanted slogans such as “Remove the embargo” and “We will never surrender,” and waved Cuban flags in a show of solidarity.
The Cuban government has repeatedly expressed frustration with President Biden’s failure to lift restrictions imposed by former President Trump during his first term, and Cuban officials have recently warned that the island nation should prepare for even harsher sanctions when Trump returns to the White House next month.
“Biden has harshly and ruthlessly applied the policies that Trump established during his term,” Cuban President Díaz-Canel said at the rally.
He also called on President Biden to reverse Trump’s decision to list Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism – a move that makes it difficult for Cuba to engage in international financial transactions.
Cubans protest in front of the U.S. Embassy against the U.S. embargo in Havana, Cuba on December 20, 2024. (Photo courtesy of AP, not for re-release)
“We are declaring our freedom and sovereignty,” said Rosalina Rodriguez, 40, one of the protesters. “The only thing Cuba needs to stand up and develop is to lift the sanctions.”
This is the first time in more than a decade that Cuba has held a large-scale march in front of the US diplomatic headquarters, demonstrating the country's increasingly tough stance against Washington's policies.
The Cuban government blames US sanctions as the main cause of the island's severe economic crisis, which includes daily power outages, double-digit inflation and severe shortages of basic goods, clean water and fuel.
The protest was seen as a strong signal from Cuba as the country prepares for greater challenges under a second Trump term.
Cao Phong (according to Reuters, TheStar, AP)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/cac-lanh-dao-va-nguoi-dan-cua-bieu-tinh-phan-doi-lenh-cam-van-tai-dai-su-quan-my-post326778.html
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