The official Black Lives Matter organization is facing widespread criticism after releasing a statement in support of the Communist dictatorship in Cuba, as reported by the Washington Free Beacon.
The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation issued its statement earlier this week, amidst the sudden grassroots protests that broke out in Cuba against the incumbent regime. In it, the organization claims, with no evidence, that “the U.S. government has only instigated suffering for the country’s 11 million, of which 4 million are black or brown.”
BLM further claims that the ongoing American embargo on Cuba, which has been in effect since the Cold War, is “at the heart of the crisis,” and went on to praise Cuba’s “strong medical care.” The far-left group’s rhetoric closely matches that of Cuba’s current dictator, Miguel Diaz-Canel, who explicitly blamed the United States for the protests.
The statement drew condemnation from across the political spectrum. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) denounced BLM as an “extortionist ring,” and said that the group “took a break today from shaking down corporations for millions and buying themselves mansions to share their support for the Communist regime in Cuba.” Matt Schlapp, Chairman of the American Conservative Union, said that “Siding with Castroism over oppressed Afro-Cubans is a tipping point” for BLM, “but maybe BLM got a beachfront house out of the deal.”
Columnist Emily Schrader of the Jerusalem Post pointed out that “apparently Black Lives Matter unless it’s black lives in Cuba living under a communist dictatorship who want to be free. Marxism is an egregious crime against humanity. Shame on BLM.” Odette Casamayor-Cisneros, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, said that as a black and Cuban person herself, she was “deeply hurt by the BLM statement on Cuban protests. They are blind and deaf to the Cuban people, to their demands. With whom is their solidarity? Certainly not with the people in the streets. LISTEN to us.”
Black Lives Matter has not issued any followup statements despite the backlash. The incident marks only the latest scandal for the flagship BLM organization, which recently saw the resignation of its last original founder, Patrisse Cullors, after it was revealed that she had bought four luxurious homes all across the country, and may have used BLM funds to do so.