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State Department Urges 'Calm' in Cuba

VOA News

   The U.S. State Department Tuesday called for "calm" in Cuba after the
   biggest protests in decades against the island's communist government
   roiled the country Sunday.

   "We call for calm and we condemn any violence against those protesting
   peacefully, and we equally call on the Cuban government to release
   anyone detained for peaceful protest," State Department spokesman Ned
   Price told reporters during a news briefing.

   Some 150 protesters have been arrested and, according to Reuters, only
   12 have been released.
   FILE - State Department spokesperson Ned Price speaks during a media
   briefing at the State Department, July 7, 2021.

   Price added that the U.S. government was considering what it could do
   to help the thousands of protesters who've taken to the country's
   streets to protest an economic crisis plaguing the island and the
   handling of the COVID-19 pandemic by its once vaunted health care
   system.

   Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters Tuesday that
   "we're pulling for the people of Cuba. This has been an outrageous,
   thuggish regime for some 70 years now." He added that he didn't know if
   the protests were strong enough to "overcome the thugs."

   Meanwhile, access to social media platforms remained at least partially
   restricted Tuesday after the government reportedly shut them down
   Monday. NetBlocks, a London-based organization, said Facebook,
   Instagram, WhatsApp and Telegram were among those restricted.

   Officials in Cuba have not commented on access to platforms on the
   island.

   The Cuban government blames the U.S. for the unrest, saying the embargo
   is the reason for the country's economic woes, which saw the economy
   shrink by 11%, the Cuban government reported.

   U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that blaming the
   protests on the U.S. would be a "grievous mistake" and proof the Cuban
   government was not hearing the concerns of the Cuban public.
   FILE - Cuban President Raul Castro waves at the Gran Teatro in Havana,
   Cuba, March 22, 2016.

   In a sign that the Cuban government is concerned about the protests,
   former head of the Cuban Communist Party Raul Castro attended a meeting
   of the political bureau to discuss the "provocations," according to
   state-run media. Castro stepped down from the position in April and was