Cuba

A spokesman for the San Isidro Movement, a pro-democracy artist collective in Cuba, told Breitbart News in an exclusive interview that President Barack Obama’s appeasement policy towards the island was “not functional” and that any dealings with the communist regime must pressure it to respect individual dignity. Michel Matos – currently the face of the movement as over a dozen members embark on a hunger strike, trapped by Communist Party police in their headquarters with limited outside contact – told Breitbart News this week that the Castro regime views an artist who criticizes the reality of the island nation “an enemy in every sense of the word.” Matos is campaigning for greater awareness for the fight for human rights in Cuba amid increased state repression of his group, in part a product of its growing popularity. An attempted peaceful rally on Sunday to support San Isidro artists attracted a mob of over 100 communist sympathizers in what is known as an act of repudio (“act of repudiation”), a government-organized attack in which the mob insults, threatens, and physically beats dissidents. Police arrested 18 people on Sunday, all anti-communist dissidents or reporters recording the mob. “I don’t think any artist is ready