The First Secretary of the Communist Party in the Granma province, Yudelkis Ortiz Barceló, addressed the protesters in Río Cauto on Friday, who took to the streets to demand the release of the mother from that locality, Mayelín Carrasco Álvarez, detained for protesting in the public square of that locality.
"My children also go to school without sleeping", the leader asserted during her speech to the outraged people of Río Cauto. A video recorded by a local resident showed the official attempting to downplay the situation in front of the protesters, arguing in her speech that both she and her family also endure the same hardships as the rest of the community.
In the midst of a strong police operation, the official of the only legal party of the Cuban regime addressed the crowd after the municipality's population demanded the release of the detained mother for exercising her freedom of expression and demonstration.
“Because we are experiencing the same situation with electricity. My children also go to school without sleep. Because where I live, the power also goes out for the same number of hours,” Ortiz Barceló stated in a condescending tone, appealing to resignation.
Moreover, he justified his role in the Party with a speech about sacrifice: “When we took on the responsibility of being public servants, it was not to benefit from that responsibility. It was to die for that responsibility. Because otherwise, we do not take it on. Because I come from a humble, rural family, and my mother still lives in a very modest little house.”
However, the most controversial part of her statements was the warning to the protesters, in which she made it clear that she would not tolerate any more expressions of discontent in the area. “That’s why I cannot allow anyone here to protest or speak with those they do not know,” the enforcer declared, reiterating once again the argument that the protests are the result of incitement by third parties.
In an effort to defuse the protest, the official tried to persuade the demonstrators about the existence of legal mechanisms to express grievances. “Sometimes we have the right, because it is a constitutional right, to complain (...) What you don’t know is that you have that legal protection for the right to complain,” she said to those gathered.
The Discourse of Sacrifice and Censorship
The statements made by the first secretary of the Party in Granma are part of a usual strategy of the Cuban regime: to appeal to collective sacrifice while justifying repression.
Ortiz Barceló's attempt to align herself with the protesters by claiming that she too faces the same difficulties contrasts sharply with her role within a system that punishes those who dare to protest.
However, shortly before, the same official had posted a message on social media claiming that Carrasco Álvarez was "very remorseful for her way of acting".
Ortiz Barceló also stated in that message that the woman had been manipulated by opponents and that her arrest was a consequence of her own behavior.
The case of Mayelín Carrasco Álvarez, who remains detained after peacefully protesting, and the response of the authorities in Río Cauto highlight the true message of the regime: in Cuba, speaking out has consequences, and any expression of dissent will be silenced, even through force if necessary.
The contrast between the supposed "legal protection" that Ortiz refers to and the reality of Mayelín, who was detained, transferred, and publicly displayed as an example of repentance, highlights the regime's strategy to control any outbreak of social discontent.
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