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The Cuban activist Amelia Calzadilla responded harshly to the regime's spokesperson, Humberto López, after the government-sanctioned program Razones de Cuba launched a media offensive against the independent outlet El Toque, accusing it of manipulating the informal currency exchange rate and committing economic terrorism against the country.
In a Facebook post, Calzadilla referred to López as a “disagreeable entity” and dismantled the arguments presented on state television, asserting that the Cuban monetary crisis is not a consequence of El Toque, but of the regime itself.
Calzadilla explained that the rise in the dollar is due to the shortage of foreign currency and the model imposed by the government. "It was the State that created the vital need among the population to acquire dollars, because otherwise they would starve," he said, referring to the establishment of dollar stores, a measure promoted by former economy minister Alejandro Gil, who is currently being tried by the regime.
"Stop searching for a fifth leg on the cat; for the currency to drop, there needs to be an availability of easily accessible foreign currencies at a price that the majority can afford. If the State wants the dollar to decrease in value, here’s the solution: sell foreign currencies without purchase limits through the network of banks the country has at the price that, according to the State, it should be," Calzadilla insisted
He also mocked the accusation that El Toque manipulates the currency market. “Thinking the currency rises because El Toque reports its prices is like believing you get sick because you had a lab test done.”
The activist concluded her message with a direct challenge to the spokesperson: "Look, Humbertico, you came to dance at the top's house. As you rightly said, you know nothing about economics, but not all of us are like you."
The regime accuses El Toque of manipulating the foreign exchange market
During the last episode of Razones de Cuba, Humberto López accused El Toque of being part of a “comprehensive economic warfare program” funded by the United States, echoing the speech of Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez at the UN.
The report described the outlet as a "subversive instrument" for publishing the informal exchange rate of the peso against the dollar, the euro, and the MLC, an indicator that millions of Cubans refer to due to the lack of official data. López indicated that the independent outlet could be committing an economic terrorism offense against Cuba.
Without providing evidence, state television claimed that El Toque aims to "depress the income of the population." Official media outlets such as Granma and Cubadebate echoed the attack, while the country faces one of the worst economic crises in its history.
Calzadilla joined the voices advocating for press freedom and denouncing the Cuban regime for trying to blame independent media for the economic disaster caused by decades of mismanagement.
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