CBC Published White Supremacist Propaganda

Evan Dyer’s reporting from the CBC is typically a prime example of the “stenographer for empire” trope for journalists. Headlines like “Trudeau seeks Caribbean allies for a Haitian rescue” and “Battling Haiti's gangs — the mission no nation seems to want” showcase the imperial chauvinism integral to his reporting. But even within that context, his latest piece from our national broadcaster delves into overtly white supremacist territory.

The article in question, titled “As holidaying Canadians return to Cuba, Cubans themselves are fleeing in record numbers,” goes through the usual motions against the communist nation. There are two main sources to frame the story. The most prominent, Jorge Duany, is listed as “an expert on Cuban migration at Florida International University” from Miami. This clearly unbiased commentator who was born in Havana January 1957 and who left December 26, 1960 is the main pillar of claims for the story as a whole. Dyer also draws from Kirenia Carbonell, a Canadian-Cuban and an honest-to-goodness employee for the Canadian federal government. Homeland Security and the U.S Coast Guard make appearances as well.

The gangsterismo’s all here.

The piece is littered with anecdotes and typical anti-communist fare. Complaints of a ration card (one pound of rice per person per month) and “peaceful” demonstrators facing persecution litter the article. If you paid attention to western news media reporting on Cuba at any point over the past 60 years, you’re aware of these tropes. But the crown jewel comes when Dyer uncritically relays unsubstantiated claims of The Great Replacement, a white supremacist conspiracy theory.

For a brief overview, The Great Replacement is a conspiracy theory among fascist, white supremacist circles that there is a coordinated effort by non-white (and, in some cases, jewish) entities to “flood” western nations with people of colour to surpass the white population. This comes hand-in-glove with the “white genocide” myth that claims white people are under attack because of race-mixing. In believers’ minds, this results in white people being “replaced.”

It’s unfortunate that this is necessary background for analyzing a CBC article, but there’s no other way to discuss it. Duany’s comments directly point to this conspiracy, and are dutifully reporter by Dyer.

[D]issidents say the Cuban and Nicaraguan regimes both see migration as achieving a double political purpose: expelling their own dissidents and frustrated citizens while undermining the United States with waves of illegal immigration…

"There seems to be some sort of agreement between the Nicaraguan government and the Cuban government in order to facilitate this migration," said Duany. "Although again, it's not in any document I've seen.”

The claim that Cuba and Nicaragua are intentionally coordinating a plan to funnel migrants towards the US and Canada is admitted to, in the piece, as having no documentation to prove it. But the claim is published all the same, allowing further room for Duany to claim this is a clear intent for the Cuban and Nicaraguan governments, which supposedly benefit from this action.

Before Duany’s claim, Carbonell’s comments serve to fear-monger directly to Canadians about this supposed plot to initiate Third World migration. “Everyone knows where those Cubans are going to end up, whether it's in the United States or on a road into Quebec.” Who is everyone? People Carbonell knows in the Cuban diaspora? Canadian federal employees? Miami Cubans? White people? Whatever her original intent, Dyer’s grouping of this with Duany’s comments paint her as a backer of this theory. This is extremely problematic, especially if she does not personally believe it.

Regardless, Dyer has published a white fascist talking point. Full stop.

The article has other glaring issues. Predictably, Dyer relays Duany’s mournful comments about Cuba suffering a failing economy under the pandemic, while not one mention is made of the 60+ year long embargo. This blockade drastically affects Cuba’s medical system. But in an article that discusses these issues, the embargo doesn’t even warrant a single mention.

In what Dyer laughably describes as a “bonanza,” the island nation’s taxing of migrations, remittances and government owned stores is described in hallowed terms. Goods in the government stores apparently have “an average mark-up of over 200 per cent” with no source to explain where this figure arises. Taxing emigrants, money flowing into the country and sales from government stores is, apparently, totalitarian. Remember that the next time you order cannabis from the Canadian government.

Carbonell, the Canadian federal employee, then bemoans the state of the Cuban economy, where it has to rely on tourism to survive, and thus funds the sector heavily.

Carbonell said the money the Cuban regime and armed forces obtain from tourism is mostly re-invested in building new hotels, while the Cuban workforce is paid only a fraction of what hotel workers are paid in neighbouring countries.

If only there were a measure that could be taken that would reduce the reliance on tourism and contribute to Cuba’s economy. But alas, this Canadian regime’s employee simply thinks taxes going to the government and military are bad. Just this one, though.

Dyer also reports Carbonell’s claims that Cubans outside hotels are uniquely suffering, however on a critical look, within the general poverty of caribbean nations and the economic embargo, Cubans fare better than their neighbours. Undoubtedly, there has been an increase in Cuban emigration in 2022 due to declining economic conditions. However, as expert in Cuban economics Helen Yaffe wrote in a much better article analyzing the situation, the trend has largely increased due to the pandemic’s effects and economic pressure placed on Cuba by the US.

While it may be true that Cuba has a disproportionate reliance on the tourism industry, mentioning that fact without bringing up the embargo which informs that reliance is journalistic malpractice. But the intent of the article appears to be dissuade Canadians from vacationing there, so why would that be mentioned? Journalistic rigor follows this premise: claims about the state of Cubans in this article are either broadly implied by immigration numbers, rested on anecdotal evidence, or not sourced at all. Is it any wonder the Cuban embassy refused to comment?

Though these issues should be enough to sink any credibility of a journalist pretending to be an accurate reporter, the fact that it’s the least egregious part of this article is shocking. Even for anti-Cuba rhetoric, the use of fascist propaganda is appalling beyond words. In hopes to whip up a jingoistic frenzy against the government of Cuba, Dyer sources white supremacist talking points and dutifully reports them with no evidence whatsoever.

This dangerous mainstreaming of fascist politics is aimed squarely at Canadians who can afford tropical vacations, hoping to persuade them not to visit Cuba. Within the context of the article, the message is meant to associate vacationing with helping to fuel a nonsensical white supremacist conspiracy theory. Dyer’s piece accuses the Cuban and Nicaraguan governments of “exporting people” to “undermine” the US and Canada with illegal immigration with a full admission that there is no evidence. This dangerous conspiracy has inspired multiple racist mass shooters, but is shamelessly used by Duany, Dyer and the CBC to attack Cuba.

Our public broadcaster, which is paid through our tax dollars, has put unabashed white supremacist rhetoric to print. This should spur outrage in any reader.