The Cuban government has accused the United States of being behind protests planned to take place in the country on November 15.
The protests are organised by a group called Archipi茅lago which claims to have some 20,000 members. Many of these members live outside the country and, in particular, in the United States.
The protests were originally planned for November 30, but that day was declared 鈥淣ational Defence Day鈥, so they were moved forward to November 15.
US State Department spokesperson Ned Price was asked directly at a media conference whether the US government was behind the protests.
Price didn鈥檛 unequivocally deny that his government was behind the protests, : 鈥淲e stand with the right of the Cuban people, and the right of people everywhere, to assemble peacefully, to have their voices heard.鈥
Price referred to the manifestation of supposed 鈥渦nmet needs鈥 and 鈥渦nmet aspirations鈥 on the part of the Cuban people.
Requests to engage in what are claimed would be 鈥減eaceful鈥 protests, in the form of marches, were made to the authorities in 6 of Cuba鈥檚 15 provinces.
According to , the proposed marches are 鈥渁gainst violence, to demand that all the rights of all Cubans be respected, for the release of political prisoners and for the solution of our differences through democratic and peaceful means鈥.
The requests have been denied on the grounds that the organisers of the planned protests are which seeks to overthrow the Cuban government.
According to a on Cuba鈥檚 official Cuba Debate website: 鈥淭he promoters and their public representatives, some of whom have links with subversive organizations or agencies financed by the American government, have the clear intention of promoting a change in Cuba's political system.鈥
Yunior Garc铆a Aguilera, an oppositional Cuban artist, has vowed that the protests will still go ahead, despite the refusal.
Hundreds of Cubans took to the streets in July to protest shortages of food, medicine and fuel.
The shortages originate from the decades-long US economic, financial and commercial embargo, which was escalated during former US president Donald Trump鈥檚 term.
Trump imposed 240 additional sanctions on Cuba 鈥 about 55 of which were implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the July protests, President Joe Biden鈥檚 administration imposed further sanctions on the Cuban government.
The US sanctions have one aim: regime change. They continue to cause great suffering among the Cuban people, especially during the pandemic.
, said the July protests were 鈥渘othing more than provocations and acts of vandalism as part of the strategy of the nonconventional war and the 鈥榮oft coup鈥 against our revolution鈥.
D铆az-Canel says the protests planned for November 15 are 鈥溾, namely, the US. He went on to say 鈥淭he declared objective of the United States government is to topple the Cuban revolution.鈥
D铆az-Canel has accused the US government of using its embassy in Havana to subvert the internal order of Cuba, saying that US diplomats frequently meet with 鈥渢hose who head the counterrevolution鈥 in order to offer assistance and financing. However, Garc铆a claims that the organisers of the proposed protests agreed not to accept outside funding.
As for the protests planned for November 15, D铆az-Canel said they involve think tanks and US government spokespeople.
The US has been very upfront and unambiguous about its support for the 鈥楥uban people鈥.
In February, the US taxpayer-financed National Endowment for Democracy (NED) 鈥 an organisation funds an array of projects and movements compatible with US aims and objectives 鈥 published a list of organisations that received just over $5 million in grants for work in Cuba in 2020.
There were of NED grants for aims such as the promotion of 鈥渋ndependent thinking鈥 in Cuba, strengthening 鈥渁ccess to information and enhancing critical thinking鈥, and promoting 鈥渇reedom of expression in Cuba through the arts鈥.
One such project is 鈥楨mpowering Cuban Hip-Hop Artists as Leaders in Society鈥, the ostensible aim of which is to 鈥渆mpower Cuban artists as cultural leaders to promote citizen participation and social change in society鈥.
The Cuban government, as well as critics of the US government, claim that the real aim of these bodies and projects is regime change.