On Sunday, videos emerged online of thousands Cuban citizens taking to the streets to lead protests against the country’s government, prompting several GOP lawmakers to voice their support for the protestors and call for an end to Cuba’s communist regime.
The videos, which have circulated on Twitter, showed protestors, also dubbed “Freedom Fighters,” gathering in streets in Havana and other cities across the island nation chanting slogans like “no tenemos miedo,” meaning “we are not afraid.” Some were seen waving American flags during the demonstrations.
On Monday, several Republican lawmakers took to Twitter to voice their support for the Freedom Fighters and to highlight how Cuba’s government has been mistreating its citizens for decades.
Several members of Congress with Cuban roots, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) shared tweets detailing the protests and voicing their support. Both Salazar and Rubio noted that internet access and cell phone service would be shut down by government authorities on the island to prevent the news of the protests from spreading.
The Communist Cuban regime will be consigned to the dustbin of history. It has brutalized & denied freedom to generations of Cubans, and forced my family & so many others to flee.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 11, 2021
The American people stand squarely with the men & women of Cuba and their noble fight for liberty. https://t.co/09hdGQVJLh
?? #HAPPENINGNOW
— María Elvira Salazar ???? (@MaElviraSalazar) July 11, 2021
Tens of thousands of people in #Cuba are protesting at this very moment.
The regime is shutting off the internet on the island. The Castro dictatorship doesn’t want the world to see what’s happening.
Please SHARE & stand with these freedom fighters! #SOSCuba pic.twitter.com/qdKupC9r1N
Protests in #Cuba aren’t simply about “shortages”
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) July 12, 2021
Socialism promises guaranteed food,medicine & income if you give up your freedom
When, as always, it fails to deliver you don’t get your freedom back
That’s why the protestors are chanting “Libertad” #SoSCuba #PatriaYVida
Expect the regime in #Cuba to block internet & cell phone service soon to prevent videos about what is happening to get out to the world.
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) July 11, 2021
A slew of other Republican leaders, including former Vice President Mike Pence, came forward to share their support, noting that the protests manifested as a result of failed socialist policies enacted in Cuba.
Florida supports the people of Cuba as they take to the streets against the tyrannical regime in Havana. The Cuban dictatorship has repressed the people of Cuba for decades & is now trying to silence those who have the courage to speak out against its disastrous policies#SOSCuba pic.twitter.com/H71EYoKdUZ
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) July 11, 2021
Protests in Cuba are the result of decades of failed socialist policies. The Cuban people are fighting for freedom.
— Congressman Fred Keller (@RepFredKeller) July 12, 2021
America stands with the people of Cuba as they fight for their freedom from a tyrannical government.
— Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) July 11, 2021
Socialism has failed everywhere it’s been tried. We can’t let America become another failed socialist experiment. ???? #SOSCuba #FreedomOverSocialism https://t.co/lnWfsoc4N9
After decades of suffering through a communist dictatorship, the Cuban people deserve liberty.
— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) July 11, 2021
I am proud to stand in solidarity with the people of Cuba who are calling out for freedom. pic.twitter.com/XNmm6GfHQx
America stands with the oppressed Cuban people assembling for their birthright of #Libertad and America stands for a free and democratic Cuba! Que Viva Cuba Libre! https://t.co/SRs4WBn8CK
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) July 12, 2021
I stand with the people of Cuba in their fight for democracy, freedom, human rights & basic resources as they peacefully protest against the brutal oppression by the Castro regime. #SOSCuba #PatriaYVidapic.twitter.com/dsU1AZDvNa
— Young Kim (@RepYoungKim) July 12, 2021
The people of Cuba are proof that communism and oppression never win.
— Rep. Tony Gonzales (@RepTonyGonzales) July 12, 2021
I’m proud to stand with the Cubans who are fighting for their freedom and democracy.
Inspiring to see the people of Cuba bravely taking a stand against tyranny & oppression this weekend.
— Sen. Kevin Cramer (@SenKevinCramer) July 12, 2021
I support those who are seeking their God-given rights of freedom & liberty, and I urge my colleagues & the Biden Administration to do the same. #SOSCuba https://t.co/MEeqTxDArH
The people of Cuba are taking to the streets and demanding freedom from decades of brutal socialistic rule.
— Rep. Vicky Hartzler (@RepHartzler) July 12, 2021
I unequivocally stand with them as they fight for a better tomorrow. #SOSCuba #PatriaYVida https://t.co/IOHM6h3mx2
The people of Cuba are fighting for freedom and the United States must stand with them! #SOSCuba
— Judge Carter (@JudgeCarter) July 12, 2021
The crisis in #Cuba is a direct result of decades of the same failed socialist policies that many Democrats want to enact here in America.@SenSanders even praised #Castro!
— Rep. Jody Hice (@CongressmanHice) July 12, 2021
History repeatedly shows that socialism and communism fail time after time.
People long for freedom!
The eyes of the world are on Cuba. I am proud to stand united with the Cuban people and their quest for freedom. #SOSCuba https://t.co/oMIXYtvscs
— Rep. Michelle Fischbach (@RepFischbach) July 12, 2021
America stands in strong support of the freedom-loving people of Cuba. Socialism ALWAYS fails. Far-left radicals should remember this fact. #SOSCuba
— Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. (@RepGregMurphy) July 12, 2021
Cuba, which has been under the thumb of the Communist Party of Cuba since 1965, has suffered numerous economic crises over the years. And since the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, other issues within the country, such as food shortages and access to COVID-19 vaccines, have amplified.