José Daniel Ferrer García, founder of the Cuban Patriotic Union (UNPACU), published a fervent message on Facebook this Tuesday, in which he strongly criticized those who attack, slander, and critique him from social media.
The text, which generated an intense reaction on social media, started from a rhetorical question directed at his detractors, and concluded with an uncompromising answer that has divided the Cuban community both in exile and on the island.
The question no one expected
Ferrer opened his publication with a series of questions filled with frustration.
"If my priority is the freedom of Cuba, if I do you no harm, if I do not covet what is yours, if I do not aspire to the political position you dream of, why do you hate me, why do you attack me, why do you slander me, why do you create more flaws in me than I actually have?" he questioned.
The question did not go unanswered.
Ferrer himself answered her with a forcefulness that left no room for ambiguity.
"I will tell you: because you are an open or undercover agent serving tyranny, because you are a cowardly envious person who hates those with the courage you lack, because your personal ambitions blind you and you have an inferiority complex, because you know that you have never risked or sacrificed anything for Cuba beyond mere words," he wrote.
And he concluded: "Because you are a pathetic instrument or a pathological envious and miserable person."
The message reflects the tension accumulated by Ferrer since he arrived in Miami on October 13, 2025 with his wife Nelva Ortega and their children, after accepting forced exile to protect his family from the pressures of State Security.
A path marked by repression
Ferrer does not speak from the comfort of someone who has never paid a price for their convictions.
Arrested on March 18, 2003, during the Black Spring as part of the group of 75 prisoners of conscience, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Amnesty International recognized him as a prisoner of conscience.
He was released in 2011 on extrapenal license, and that same year he founded UNPACU.
He was detained again after the protests on July 11, 2021, released on January 16, 2025, and re-incarcerated in April of that same year, in conditions reported as deplorable in the Mar Verde prison, Santiago de Cuba.
From exile, he has maintained an intense political activity.
In May, he issued warnings against government repressors and collaborators, stating that "they will have no escape."
The support of their followers
The post sparked an avalanche of supportive comments.
"You were, are, and will be great. If they insult you, slander you, and criticize you, it’s because you are doing it right," wrote one of his followers.
Another noted: “Media lynching is one of the strategies used by authoritarian regimes to discredit and silence their most critical opponents.”
A third message encapsulated the majority sentiment: "Your struggle and selflessness for the freedom of our beloved homeland is a powerful testament, regardless of who it may hurt. You are a great patriot."
The critical voices
However, a smaller but very active group of comments questioned his credibility and moral authority.
"Despite everything you say, you are still just taking advantage; you found a way to avoid working both in Cuba and in the United States," wrote one of his detractors.
Another was more direct: “Not a word you say is believed because you have always been a manipulator.”
A recurring argument also emerged: "Cubans do not want anyone from another country telling us what we should do."
The debate reflected a deep polarization surrounding José Daniel Ferrer: while his supporters consider him one of the main figures of the Cuban opposition, his detractors see him as a discredited figure detached from the everyday reality of the island.
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