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The U.S. diplomat Mike Hammer continues to challenge the Cuban regime, and this Monday he met with Monsignor Wilfredo Pino Estevez, the bishop of Camagüey.
“Mission Chief Mike Hammer met with Bishop Monsignor Wilfredo Pino Estevez in Camagüey. The repudiation acts organized by the regime will not prevent us from continuing to meet with Cubans concerned about the crisis facing the country. Like the U.S., the church plays an important role in supporting ordinary Cubans,” reads a post on social media from the U.S. Embassy in Cuba.
Before this Monday, on the Day of the Virgin of Candelaria, when tradition encourages letting go of the old, leaving behind what is withered, and embracing the light of the new, Hammer shared a message of deep symbolic value amidst the tense political moment experienced on the island.
"Here the bells are ringing in Camagüey! How beautiful! How beautiful! What could it mean? We’ll see each other on the streets of Camagüey. Until next time!" expressed Hammer in a short video posted on the official account of the U.S. Embassy in Cuba, accompanied by the message: "Beautiful sunrise in Camagüey."
The video was recorded in front of the bell tower of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Candelaria, built in the 18th century and declared a Minor Basilica by Pope Francis in 2014.
Three acts of repudiation
The tension between Havana and Washington escalated again this weekend following a series of acts of repudiation against the United States ambassador to Cuba, Mike Hammer, organized by the regime's structures in less than 24 hours.
According to reports from journalist José Luis Tan Estrada, the third and most recent incident occurred this Sunday in Camagüey, where a mob mobilized by the regime harassed the diplomat upon his arrival in the city.
In a released video, Dayanny Francés, identified by Tan as a member of the Provincial UJC, can be heard leading the insults and chants against Hammer.
"Internal sources from various PCC groups in Camagüey have sent me this video of another act of repudiation that took place this morning against the United States ambassador," Tan noted, who later confirmed Francés' identity on social media.
This new episode adds to two others previously recorded in Trinidad and in Camagüey itself, during the night of Saturday.
In the first incident, which took place in Trinidad, the diplomat was confronted by a small group of individuals as he exited the San Francisco de Paula Church, after meeting with the priest and activist José Conrado Rodríguez.
According to a report on Facebook by the professor and researcher Yanetsy Pino, five individuals shouted and insulted the ambassador in broad daylight, an act she described as one of rejection.
"The video of the incident was sent to me from Trinidad; in the initial seconds, you can hear the shouting of those involved," he recounted.
Hours later, on Saturday night, a second act of repudiation took place at the Hotel Santa María, in Plaza del Gallo in Camagüey, a site associated with the Office of the Historian of the City.
According to several reports, a mob organized by local authorities awaited the diplomat upon his arrival from Ciego de Ávila, amidst a massive blackout that left the historic center completely in the dark.
During the harassment, the protesters shouted insults such as "Trump's puppet," "imperialist," "murderer," "get out of Camagüey," and "down with the blockade," in a tense atmosphere monitored by plainclothes security agents.
The images, shared by various witnesses, show the presence of mobilized youths and political slogans identical to those used in events organized in previous decades against dissidents, journalists, and foreign diplomats.
In light of the escalation of hostility, the government of the United States demanded that the Cuban regime cease its aggressions and interference in Ambassador Hammer's diplomatic efforts.
The U.S. government's Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs stated in a declaration published on X: "The illegitimate Cuban regime must immediately cease its repressive acts of sending individuals to interfere with the diplomatic work of Chargé d'Affaires Hammer and the members of the Embassy team."
“Our diplomats will continue to meet with the Cuban people, despite the regime's failed intimidation tactics,” he added.
Hammer himself stated on Saturday that “some have shouted insults, but they do not represent the everyday Cuban people,” and reaffirmed his decision to continue his travels across the country to “meet more Cubans and talk to them about their aspirations for a better Cuba.”
The three acts of repudiation in less than 24 hours represent an unprecedented escalation in the harassment actions by the Cuban regime against a U.S. diplomatic representative, at a time of increasing international pressure and sanctions imposed by President Donald Trump on the dictatorship of Miguel Díaz-Canel.
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