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Blinken, however, said critics were misreading the situation.
“It would be a grievous mistake for the Cuban regime to interpret what is happening in dozens of towns and cities across the island as the result or product of anything the United States has done,” Blinken said. “It would show they simply are not hearing the voices and will of the Cuban people” who he said are “deeply, deeply, deeply tired” of repression and economic and pandemic mismanagement.
Advocates for better ties with Cuba are dismayed that no progress has been made.
For Biden, according to people familiar with his thinking, the calculation is that rapprochement with Cuba would provide few political benefits now but harbored potential downsides.
Still, Cubans are losing their fear, he said.
Others Reuters spoke to, however, said they hoped there would be no more protests, citing fears of violence, and saying they would prefer there to be more dialogue.
The protests erupted amid both Cuba s deepest economic crisis since the fall of former ally the Soviet Union and a surge in COVID-19 infections that has pushed some hospitals to the edge of collapse in a country that prides itself on its healthcare system.
People take part in a demonstration against the government of Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel in Havana, on 11 July, 2021.
AFP
The tightening of decades-old US sanctions under former US president Donald Trump and the pandemic have exacerbated shortages of food and medicine, as well as power outages.
Cuba arrests activists as government blames unrest on U.S. interference
By Sarah Marsh and Nelson Acosta
Reuters
HAVANA (Reuters) -Cuba blamed historic protests that took place over the weekend on U.S. economic asphyxiation and detained some of the highest profile activists, while the Biden administration said it supported the Cuban people s right to demonstrate.
The streets of Havana were quiet on Monday, although there was a heavy police presence and the capitol building, where more than a thousand had congregated the day before, was cordoned off. Outages in mobile internet - the only way many Cubans have of accessing the web - were frequent.
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The streets of Havana were quiet on Monday, although there was a heavy police presence. Outages in mobile internet – the only way many Cubans have of accessing the web – were frequent.
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Try refreshing your browser, or Cuba blames unrest on U.S. interference as Biden backs protests Back to video
Chanting “freedom” and calling for President Miguel Diaz-Canel to step down, thousands of Cubans joined street protests from Havana to Santiago on Sunday in the biggest anti-government demonstrations on the Communist-run island in decades.
At least 80 protesters, activists, and independent journalists had been detained nationwide since Sunday, according to exiled rights group Cubalex.