Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis proclaimed May 20 as Cuban Independence Day in the state, reinforcing his support for the Caribbean island and its people “in their ongoing fight against communism.”
“We stand with the Cuban people in their ongoing fight against communism,” he added, sending his greetings to all observing the date as Cuban Independence Day.
DeSantis recalled in his proclamation that the United States declared Cuba’s independence on May 20, 1902, following the Platt Amendment, which gave Cuba the option of becoming a U.S. territory and allowing U.S. military intervention on behalf of Cuba.
On that day, for the first time, the Cuban flag flew alone at the Castillo del Morro, a fortress in the port of Havana, ending centuries of Spanish rule. The current Cuban communist government has tried to discredit this date by arguing that true independence came with the communist revolution.
In his remarks, the governor thanked the Cuban American community in Florida for its friendship and support, as well as “the many contributions they have made to our state and nation in the arts, business, education, sports, literature, politics, public service, and many other fields.”
He mentioned the 2021 law, HB 5, which requires high schools to teach students to compare political ideologies that conflict with freedom and democracy, such as communism and totalitarianism.
In July 2021, DeSantis, along with Republican lawmakers and Cuban exiles, called on the United States to help provide internet access to Cubans on the island. This came after the mass protests on July 11 that year, when Cubans on the island took to the streets to peacefully protest against the Castro regime, against communism, and demand freedom for the Cuban people, reported Agencia EFE.
In May 2022, DeSantis enacted a law requiring high schools to observe Victims of Communism Day and that students “learn about the evils of communism and the atrocities committed by their regimes.”
Additionally, in April 2024, the governor signed into law SB 1264, which requires the teaching of the history of communism and the tactics of communist movements in elementary and secondary schools.
“Although more than 60 years of Marxist dictatorship have done much to harm this island nation, they have not destroyed the desire for freedom, the rule of law, and individual liberty amongst the people of Cuba who bravely display their support for true independence from tyranny,” DeSantis said.
Fidel Castro’s 1959 Cuban revolution overthrew Fulgencio Batista and established communism on the island, where it has remained in power for 66 years.
On May 20, a group of Cuban-born congress members called for freedom for Cuba and its more than 1,000 political prisoners as part of the island’s Independence Day celebrations.
