In a display of opportunism and cynicism, Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, the national coordinator of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) and former spy among the so-called "Five Heroes," took advantage of the recent blackout that affected Spain and Portugal to launch his usual propaganda rhetoric.
Instead of showing solidarity or empathy, Hernández Nordelo referred to Europe as a "failed continent," suggesting that critics of Cuba should apply that term to European nations, as they spread the hashtag #CubaEstadoFallido in their posts about the energy and structural crisis caused by 63 years of communist totalitarianism.
Additionally, the neighborhood informant and expert in the regime's lamenting narrative could not miss the opportunity to highlight in his publication on Facebook that Europe is not subjected to blockades or economic sabotage, in yet another attempt to blame the U.S. embargo on Cuba as the source of all its woes.
This comparison is particularly hypocritical, given that while Europe faced an exceptional and temporary blackout, Cuba experiences prolonged daily power outages that regularly affect the majority of its population.
La respuesta de las autoridades europeas fue inmediata: el presidente del Gobierno español, Pedro Sánchez assured that necessary measures will be taken to prevent such a massive blackout from happening again, y se exigirá responsabilidad a los operadores privados del sistema eléctrico.
In contrast, in Cuba, power outages are a constant occurrence, and the authorities usually attribute them to the U.S. embargo, without taking responsibility for the lack of investment and maintenance in the national electrical system.
The official narrative, repeated by figures like Tere Felipe - a lower-ranking "ciberclaria" compared to Hernández Nordelo - insists that the blame lies solely on external factors, ignoring the internal deficiencies and poor management that have led to the energy collapse on the island.
The reaction of Hernández Nordelo and other regime propagandists to the blackout in Europe not only demonstrates a lack of empathy but also an attempt to divert attention from Cuba's internal problems, using any international event as an excuse to reinforce their anti-imperialist narrative.
Meanwhile, Cubans continue to face prolonged blackouts and an unprecedented energy crisis, with no signs of a short-term solution.
In summary, the exploitation of an unfortunate event in Europe to justify the failures of the Cuban system reflects a propagandistic strategy aimed at perpetuating a victimhood narrative, rather than addressing the real causes of the problems affecting the Cuban population.
Filed under: