In an interview with the far-left Radio Rebelde in Argentina, which began circulating heavily in Cuban diaspora media on Tuesday, Aleida Guevara March, daughter of communist mass murderer Ernesto “Che” Guevara, urged the Cuban Communist Party to enact even more violent repressive measures against the thousands of “low-class people” protesting the regime.
“There are things happening manipulated by the United States,” Guevara March said of the protests in Cuba, “truly low-class people, people without scruples have taken to the streets and so some fools follow. … The people have reacted very well and the situation is getting under control,” she claimed. She added that “we,” without specifying whom she meant, are demanding greater violent force from police and that authorities “act and defend what is ours.”
Thousands of protesters took the streets in dozens of Cuban cities on July 11 demanding an end to communism, the vast majority of them engaging in peaceful marches to the centers of their communities. In response, the Communist Party shut down the internet and encouraged communist civilians to violently assault suspected dissidents in the streets. The Party also began hosting “acts of revolutionary affirmation” – mandatory rallies – in an attempted display of support for the 62-year-old regime.
Human rights groups have confirmed over 500 forced disappearances or arrests of protests. Many of those confirmed missing or in police custody are internationally renowned dissident leaders.
Aleida Guevara March must be proud to follow in the totalitarian footsteps of her father.