{"id":5205,"date":"2021-09-19T07:12:48","date_gmt":"2021-09-19T07:12:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/?p=5205"},"modified":"2021-09-19T07:12:51","modified_gmt":"2021-09-19T07:12:51","slug":"max-blumenthal-the-social-media-war-on-cuba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/max-blumenthal-the-social-media-war-on-cuba\/","title":{"rendered":"Max Blumenthal &#8211; The social media war on Cuba"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"747\" height=\"421\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uGINhPv8ZZY?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Max Blumenthal<\/strong> from the <strong>Grayzone<\/strong> speaking at&#8217; <strong>The social media war<\/strong> on Cuba&#8217; hosted by<strong> Rock Around the Blockade <\/strong>on 12 September 2021. Visit www.thegrayzone.com for investigative journalism and analysis 11 July 2021 saw the first violent protests in Cuba since the &#8216;Maleconazo&#8217; of 1994, which occurred in the depths of an economic crisis following the collapse of the Soviet bloc. The 2021 protests occurred in the context of shortages of basic goods resulting from the pandemic, the tightening of the US&#8217;s 60-year blockade of Cuba by the Trump administration and Biden&#8217;s refusal to reverse these new sanctions. In the midst of the pandemic, the US has escalated its struggle to destroy socialist Cuba. But, a new weapon has changed the dynamics of this war: social media. For more than two decades, US sanctions prevented Cuba from accessing over 30 optic fibre cables in the region. Nonetheless, by 2018 Cuba had delivered internet access via Wifi hotspots and phone data. the US has swiftly taken advantage of this by encouraging the coordination of anti-Cuban propaganda against Cuba&#8217;s socialist system through US-based social media networks like Facebook and Twitter. Spanish analyst Juli\u00e1n Mac\u00edas Tovar has demonstrated how, for example, thousands of fake social media accounts were utilised to spread the SOSCuba hashtag during the anti-government protests, to create the impression of a widespread uprising. Fake photos and videos were circulated via social media. The Cuban state has long recognised and warned of the programmes of social media-based propaganda being sponsored by US agencies such as USAID and the National Endowment for Democracy. Millions of dollars of prizes and grants are offered to artists, intellectuals and social media influencers willing to spread anti-communist messages. Those who refuse to do so are blocked and censored. The Cuba Money Project shows how $2 million of grants were advertised by USAID just ten days before the protests, made available for &#8216;democracy promotion projects&#8217;, a green light for regime change. Pro-Trump, anti-communist Cuban rappers and musicians have been promoted by the US state department in an attempt to popularise anti-communism amongst Cuba&#8217;s youth. Despite this, the Cuban revolution retains popular support and is now mobilising its revolutionary youth to confront the economic crisis and accompanying propaganda war.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Max Blumenthal from the Grayzone speaking at&#8217; The social media war on Cuba&#8217; hosted by Rock Around the Blockade on 12 September 2021. Visit www.thegrayzone.com<a class=\"moretag\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/max-blumenthal-the-social-media-war-on-cuba\/\"> [&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101011,"featured_media":5206,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7921,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/cuba-the-brain-as-a-territory-of-conquest\/","url_meta":{"origin":5205,"position":0},"title":"The Brain as a Territory of Conquest","author":"Editorial Team","date":"December 15, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"This is how the Fifth Generation War, whose territory of conquest is the human brain, works: it makes certain victims turn the aggressor into a savior; and an elaborate strategy of social lobotomy becomes a \u201cspontaneous protest for freedom\u201d.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;US Disinformation&quot;","block_context":{"text":"US Disinformation","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/usa\/us-anti-cuba-disinformation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/12-14-cuba.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5940,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/a-year-in-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":5205,"position":1},"title":"A Year in Review","author":"Editorial Team","date":"February 17, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"A Record of Cuba Support Group Ireland\u2019s activities in 2021 We started the year in a severe pandemic lockdown with a complete ban on all demonstrations and meetings outside the home. Even exercise outside the home was restricted to maximum essential travel limits. We had to innovate and adapt our\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Featured&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/news\/featured\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/1F396532-A8AD-4694-B3D9-6B2D4B2661AC-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/1F396532-A8AD-4694-B3D9-6B2D4B2661AC-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/1F396532-A8AD-4694-B3D9-6B2D4B2661AC-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/1F396532-A8AD-4694-B3D9-6B2D4B2661AC-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/1F396532-A8AD-4694-B3D9-6B2D4B2661AC-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4873,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/us-takes-advantage-of-the-price-cubans-are-paying-for-the-blockade\/","url_meta":{"origin":5205,"position":2},"title":"US TAKES ADVANTAGE OF THE PRICE CUBANS ARE PAYING FOR THE BLOCKADE","author":"Editorial Team","date":"July 16, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Above photo:\u00a0Amid the campaign being waged against Cuba on social media and fueled by protests in response to food shortages and electricity cuts, hundreds took to the streets to defend the revolution. 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Cuban government officials and activists have reiterated their demand for an end to the blockade\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Featured&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/news\/featured\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/000264330002.jpg?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/000264330002.jpg?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/000264330002.jpg?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/000264330002.jpg?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/000264330002.jpg?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8419,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/webinar-international-tribunal-against-the-us-blockade-of-cuba\/","url_meta":{"origin":5205,"position":3},"title":"Webinar &#8211; International Tribunal against the US Blockade of Cuba","author":"Editorial Team","date":"March 1, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"On Sunday, April 14, the international 1c4cuba campaign has called a webinar to report and analyze the results of the International Tribunal against the US blockade of Cuba, which was held at the EU Parliament in Brussels in November 2023. This event acquires vital relevance in the fight against the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Featured&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/news\/featured\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-03-04-at-15.50.11.jpeg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-03-04-at-15.50.11.jpeg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-03-04-at-15.50.11.jpeg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-03-04-at-15.50.11.jpeg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-03-04-at-15.50.11.jpeg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5148,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/away-from-non-binding-unga-resolutions-the-eu-follows-the-u-s-narrative-on-cuba\/","url_meta":{"origin":5205,"position":4},"title":"Away From Non-Binding UNGA Resolutions, the EU Follows the U.S. Narrative on Cuba","author":"Editorial Team","date":"September 3, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"If the EU truly prized democracy, it would lobby for an end to the illegal blockade and U.S. interference, Ramona Wadi writes. Why does the U.S. illegal blockade on Cuba conveniently disappear from the EU\u2019s narrative in the context of the protests against shortages in the country, and in which\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Featured&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/news\/featured\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bloqueo-Caravana.jpeg?fit=748%2C498&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bloqueo-Caravana.jpeg?fit=748%2C498&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bloqueo-Caravana.jpeg?fit=748%2C498&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bloqueo-Caravana.jpeg?fit=748%2C498&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4981,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/if-the-us-really-cared-about-freedom-in-cuba-it-would-end-its-punishing-sanctions\/","url_meta":{"origin":5205,"position":5},"title":"If the US really cared about freedom in Cuba, it would end its punishing sanctions","author":"Editorial Team","date":"August 4, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Helen Yaffe Critics dismiss Cuba as a failed state, but don\u2019t accept how badly it\u2019s hamstrung by the US blockade The violent protests that\u00a0erupted in Cuba\u00a0in early July were the first serious social disturbances since the\u00a0\u201cMaleconazo\u201d of 1994, 27 years ago. 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