Related videos:
The Cuban activist Yamilka Lafita, known on social media as Lara Crofs, posted a message on her Facebook account questioning the effectiveness of pacifism in the face of authoritarian regimes such as those in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
His message was in response to the U.S. military incursion in Venezuela that culminated in the capture of the leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, who have been accused by the U.S. government of narco-terrorism and are already in New York where they could face their first court appearance very soon.
The actions of the United States, under the leadership of Donald Trump, have sparked an extensive international debate, with both supporting and opposing viewpoints, even among those opposing the regimes of Maduro in Venezuela and Díaz-Canel in Cuba.
"I am also not in favor of any kind of violence, especially that which is exercised without limits or moral responsibility," wrote Lafita on Facebook. He also warned that people under established dictatorships cannot limit their resistance to "an abstract pacifism that ignores reality."
The activist recalled that in those countries, “thousands of people have lost their freedom, their health, their families, and in many cases, their lives,” while the tyrannies remain unscathed after decades of repression and absolute control of power.
After mentioning the years of peaceful protests, failed dialogues, and rigged elections, Lara Crofs posed a question that she deemed inevitable: "How do these types of dictatorships fall?"
"History shows that closed tyrannies rarely collapse solely due to internal pressure," he warned, emphasizing that these regimes control "the weapons, the courts, the media, the economy, and have international alliances that support them."
Lafita stated that refusing to even discuss the possibility of external assistance amounts to "demanding that exhausted societies overthrow professional repressive apparatuses with bare hands, while the world looks on from a comfortable ethical superiority or turns a blind eye."
"Non-violence cannot be a perpetual condemnation, nor an excuse for international inaction," he insisted, advocating that true solidarity "involves political costs, effective pressure, and strategic support."
Finally, the activist urged Cubans to stop judging the decisions of other peoples striving for their freedom, such as the Venezuelans.
"They have proven to be braver, more organized, and more willing to fight for freedom than us, who have been under the boot for 67 years and are not even capable of having an organized opposition," he lamented.
His publication generated reactions of support and debate among users, many of whom agreed that the civic struggle in Cuba is reaching a point of exhaustion after decades of repression without visible political changes.
Filed under: