Unlike communist Cuba where protesting the Castro dictatorship will get you brutally beaten and thrown into the gulag, in the U.S., protesting is a protected right (for now, at least). And that’s exactly what Cuban exiles did.
Via Martí Noticias (my translation):
With shouts of ‘Freedom’ and ‘Down with the Dictatorship,’ Cubans protest outside the UN
On Tuesday, Cubans in exile gathered in front of the United Nations headquarters in New York to protest the presence of ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel at that organization, where he addressed the General Assembly on the first day of the 78th session.
Since early morning, Cubans gathered at the designated protest area, waving banners with anti-government messages, shouting ‘Freedom!’ and ‘Down with the dictatorship!’
Díaz-Canel arrived in New York on Sunday and devoted his first day in the American city to visiting Cuban diplomats at the Permanent Mission of the communist country to the UN.
Even before his arrival, Cuban activists in exile have expressed their rejection of the fact that the representative of a dictatorship, with serious accusations of violating the human rights of its citizens, has a voice in the world body.
In statements to Martí Noticias, one of the protesters, Cuban artist and activist Ana Olema, said she was proud of the young Cuban exiles who raise their voice against the regime. ‘We will not allow evil to advance,’ she stated.
She directly addressed the Cuban ruler, saying: ‘Díaz-Canel, you do not represent us, much less the artists.’
In a message to intellectuals and artists on the island, Olema told them that it is not the time to be an instrument of power, but to stand by the people, who demand their support.
On Monday, Cubans gathered in front of the Permanent Mission of Cuba to the UN and other points in New York to express their disagreement with the presence of the highest representative of the regime in Havana at the United Nations.