Abel Prieto shared a cartoon on Facebook that depicts Anna Bensi as a mercenary linked to the American diplomat Mike Hammer, but numerous responses redirected the criticisms towards the former Minister of Culture.
“Can't you fall any lower?”, “What a disappointment, Abel, I didn't think you would stoop so low”, and “And you were the Minister of Culture” were some of the critical comments received by the post from the member of the National Assembly of People's Power.
"From our Paquito," Prieto wrote while sharing the image. The post, which garnered over 1,300 comments, received messages of solidarity for Bensi, questions about the behavior of its promoters, and mockery regarding the supposed charm of the drawing.
"I trust that girl's word more than that of any Cuban leader," expressed a user. Another summarized a recurring idea in the responses: "It's amazing that a young girl with a phone has them so worked up."
"Respond to the criticism, not to the messenger."
Several comments interpreted the attention from the official apparatus as a sign of the impact of Bensi's allegations. “Incredible that a young woman and her mother are kept awake, just imagine when the tide wakes up,” pointed out one. “Incredible that a girl scares them so much,” wrote another.
Also, there were criticisms regarding Prieto's role as a figure of official culture: “It's a shame, a former minister of culture. Culture or Inculture?”. Another comment contrasted his literary career with the publication: “The laughter from the joke is like the literary value of his books, they are downloaded separately.”
"No it was not funny," "Is the laughter separate in Uber or what?" and "That's a joke from Temu" were other responses. One user posed a challenge to his promoter: "Now make one for the president and the prime minister," suggesting that the freedom to caricature doesn't apply the same way when the target is the power.
Others returned to the regime the references to hunger and lack of freedom. «So it's true, there is hunger and there is no freedom», one commented. Another demanded: «Abel Prieto. Depicting people in fear does not fill their plates. Respond to the criticism, not to the messenger».
Messages also appeared against Bensi, accusing her of seeking money or a visa, and questioning her behavior as a Christian. Among the responses gathered, however, there are many defenses of the young woman and criticisms of Prieto.
The provocation that mockery leaves out
The comments referred to the act of repudiation during Hammer's visit to the home of Bensi and his mother, Caridad Silvente, in Alamar on October 6. While the diplomat was greeting them, a small group shouted slogans against him. Bensi responded to one of the participants: "Your iron fell" and "Starving to death."
A commentator defended his right to host guests and questioned why several people stationed themselves in front of his house to verbally assault them. "His response was provoked by those who were yelling at him," he noted. Another asked, "Who is starving us? I don't believe it's the unfortunate Paquito, perhaps it's Paquito's boss."
Prieto's post came after Francisco Rodríguez Cruz, "Paquito de Cuba," vice president of UPEC was photographed wearing a wig similar to the activist's hair and joked about recording those who visited his home because the CIA threatened to take away his virginity.
Bensi and Silvente were sentenced on October 1 to two years of restriction of liberty each for recording and publishing the visit of a MININT agent. The case mobilized religious leaders, artists, and activists; some individuals attempting to accompany them to the court were detained.
That background fueled another reproach in the post: "These are the ones who say that privacy must be respected." One comment asked what criteria are applied when Cuban television shows the faces, names, and videos of dissidents to discredit them: "Is the law applied in the same way when the publisher is a state media?"
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