The Argentine deputy Juan Grabois asserted this Tuesday that he traveled to Cuba to “show solidarity with a brother nation subjected to intolerable siege and the threat of invasion.”
In a message published after meeting with Miguel Díaz-Canel, he stated that the United States embargo “was already brutal and illegal,” but the new measures promoted by President Donald Trump represent “a crime against international law” that could lead to a “serious humanitarian crisis.”
Grabois questioned the idea that Cuba poses a threat to U.S. national security and argued that it is the duty of the "Patria Grande" to break the isolation of the island.
"Defending Cuba is defending Latin America," he wrote, while insisting on the self-determination of peoples and peace among nations as values superior to any ideology.
The Argentine leftist leader has endeavored to shift the debate on social media regarding what is happening in Cuba. However, his Latin Americanist rhetoric has not resonated with Cubans, both on the island and abroad, who are calling for political change.
Political tourism in Cuba: Official meetings and cultural agenda in Havana
During his stay in Havana, the Argentine deputy developed an extensive program of official activities. He was received in the Capitol by Ana María Mari Machado, Vice President of the National Assembly of People's Power, who expressed her gratitude for his "solidarity with Cuba" and conveyed the willingness to strengthen interparliamentary relations between both countries.
Grabois also held a meeting with Díaz-Canel and publicly shared images from a gathering with the singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez, whom he described as a figure committed to the "peace and sovereignty of Latin American peoples."
Reactions and criticisms on social media regarding the visit of the Argentine
The visit did not go unnoticed on social media. In the comments on his posts, several users referred to him as a "tourist of misery," questioning why leaders of the Latin American left support the regime instead of demanding political changes that would allow citizens to freely choose their future.
Some messages demanded that international support should focus on the Cuban people and not on sustaining the old power structures, amid the profound crisis in Cuba, characterized by prolonged blackouts, fuel shortages, and difficulties accessing food and basic services.
Touring to witness the crisis in Cuba up close and how it withstands the oil blockade
The visit of the Argentine deputy comes at one of the most complex moments for the Cuban economy in recent years. The reduction and subsequent interruption of oil supplies from Venezuela have worsened the already fragile energy situation on the island.
This is compounded by the tariffs imposed since January by the United States on countries that trade oil with Cuba. The "oil blockade" exacerbates the crisis but is not the root cause of the blackouts, the lack of productivity, or the increase in extreme poverty in Cuba.
The restrictions have directly impacted electricity generation and transportation, but they have only deepened an economic crisis that has been ongoing since 2019.
The government of Miguel Díaz-Canel leaves behind a massive migration on the island, an aging population, a country without productive forces, and thousands of young people imprisoned for their political beliefs, for demanding freedom in the broadest sense of the word.
In this context, the presence of Argentine Juan Grabois has been interpreted as a political gesture of support for the Cuban dictatorship, while much of the population faces daily life under increasingly precarious conditions.
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