Amelia Calzadilla published a video on Facebook in which she responded to a new smear campaign against her, compiling excerpts of her speeches from when she was still living in Cuba to remind people of what "the conveniently forgetful choose to overlook."
In the text accompanying the video, the Cuban activist exiled in Madrid laments that some of her words spoken from within the island have become a trend on social media, and points out the paradox that those who accuse her of "serving the dictatorship" align themselves with representatives of Castroism in this campaign. "It’s always amusing to see how those who accuse me of serving the dictatorship can line up with representatives of Castroism in this new discrediting campaign," she wrote.
The material includes excerpts in which Calzadilla directly confronted the regime's ministers: "How long will the people continue to pay for your comforts? Being a public official means serving others, not us serving you."
In another fragment, she reported that 11,000 people were experiencing the same issue accessing liquefied gas as she was, and that the situation worsened to the point of becoming viral news on social media.
Calzadilla also called for a plurality of ideas in the Cuban Parliament in the video and demanded the release of political prisoners with a powerful statement: "One is never well in a prison, sir. Never. The greatest punishment for a human being after death is the deprivation of freedom."
He also described the widespread fear experienced by the population in Cuba: "There is fear of exclusion, fear of abandonment, fear of being dismissed from our workplaces, fear of physical aggression, because we experienced it on July 11, and since then, we have also lived through it."
One of the most striking fragments of the video shows Calzadilla directly warning the regime's agents: "I remind you, security and DTI, that you have children, that you have parents, and that the government has abandoned you."
This new discredit campaign comes just days after Calzadilla announced the founding of the Orthodox Liberal Party of Cuba (PLOC), with the slogan "Justice, Dignity, and Prosperity."
The announcement generated a wave of support among Cubans in exile and on the island, but it also sparked ridicule from the official program Con Filo, whose hosts released a sarcastic video announcing "their own political party."
Calzadilla responded to that mockery from Con Filo stating that it "fills her with pride" because it "reflects how much pain it causes them to know that as a people we are ready to embrace country projects with open arms."
The pattern repeats: in 2022, the official media launched a coordinated campaign against Calzadilla following her viral video, labeling her message as "management of irritation," and profiles linked to State Security attempted to discredit her with collages of supposed "luxuries."
The activist herself acknowledged that this dynamic repeats: "The clumsiness of the ignorant prevents them from seeing beyond their noses, and just like in 2022, they unleash a campaign to dress me in a suit I never thought I would wear. And once again, I thank them."
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