Gabriela Fernández, host of the pro-government program Con Filo, reappeared this Tuesday on Cuban television after a controversial tour in Spain.
In her return to television, she joked about the failure of her supposed "mission" in Europe: “I must admit, with great regret, that my mission to establish communism in Europe… was unsuccessful,” she said, ironically, as she resumed her role as spokesperson for the Cuban regime.
Fernández visited at least 15 Spanish cities on a tour organized by institutions aligned with Castroism and far-left political groups with a communist ideology. During her tour of the peninsula, the presenter was met with peaceful protests from Cuban exiles who rejected her presence and her propaganda speech.
The protests took place openly, protected by the legality and the safeguarding of the freedoms of expression and assembly that prevail in the democratic state of Spain.
During his stay in Spain, Fernández was not only able to speak freely at universities and cultural centers, but he even issued public challenges to his critics.
“Prove that we have lied,” she demanded in Alicante, but in all her talks entry was denied to Cuban exiles. In some instances, they were victims of violence from the event organizers.
In Madrid, provocative gestures were allowed towards protesters, including an ironic kiss directed at exiles who condemned her intervention.
However, Fernández's return to Cuba sharply contrasts with the reality faced by citizens on the island.
In Cuba, fundamental freedoms—such as the right to express oneself, protest, and dissent from the official narrative—are severely restricted. Those who attempt to exercise these rights often face repression, surveillance, imprisonment, and campaigns of discreditation orchestrated by the state-run media, such as Con Filo.
While Fernández mocks European democracy and criticizes the "systems they want to preserve," he deliberately overlooks the fact that it was precisely that system that allowed him to express himself without fear of reprisals.
In contrast, in Cuba, the streets cannot serve as a stage for civic protests without legal or physical consequences, as has been documented multiple times by international human rights organizations.
The presenter, who was protected by the law in Spain, now returns to a country where other communicators and activists are imprisoned for posting on social media or for peacefully protesting.
Her reappearance on Cuban state television symbolizes not only a physical return but also a return to the propagandistic monologue where only one narrative has a place: that of power.
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