MIAMI – Passengers aboard a flight from Havana arrived at Miami International Airport on Thursday. A few, sharing their experiences during the unprecedented protests on the communist island, that began on Sunday.
“The situation in Cuba is really bad. The people are suffering. There’s no food there’s no medicine,” said Reen.
Reen shared that she was visiting family in Cuba, with Local 10′s Liane Morejon. She said, while she didn’t participate in the protests personally, out of concern for her personal safety, she said she and her family support the fight.
“People need to stand up for their rights, " she explained.
Sunday’s protests were the result of many years of discontent among the Cuban people. They are pleading for freedom, food for their families, medicine and COVID-19 vaccines, as a spike of cases was reported earlier this month.
“The situation is hard, everybody has pain, they are scared. I don’t know what the people in Cuba are going to do, the people in Cuba need help,” said Janet Perez, another passenger aboard the flight.
Other passengers described a different scene, saying they did not know what was happening, or things were fine. Some even said things were quiet, despite videos showing otherwise.
When the consequences for speaking out include violence, imprisonment or worse, those who frequent the island may find it safer to say nothing.
Meanwhile in South Florida, Cuban Americans are showing solidarity with those protesting on the island, during protests in Miami Lakes on Thursday.
Gov. Ron DeSantis also made an appearance in Miami, alongside leaders from Miami-Dade County, to call on the Biden administration to help restore internet access to Cuba.