Members of CODEPINK: Women for Peace held a demonstration in front of the State Department in Washington D.C., where they dramatically disposed of a copy of the government report titled 'Cuba: The Capital of 21st Century Communism' by tossing it into a trash can. This act was a vivid display of the freedom of expression alive and well in the United States.
The 100-page document, released on July 20 by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, claims that the Cuban regime has, for over six decades, orchestrated a network of espionage, infiltration, and propaganda aimed at undermining the United States from within. It also lists CODEPINK as one of the organizations allegedly linked to Cuba's influence.
“We have a copy of this atrocious 100-page report the State Department released about Cuba, essentially blaming Cuba for issues here in the United States and worldwide. So, we’re placing this report exactly where it belongs: in the trash,” stated Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the group, in a video shared by CODEPINK.
The activist compared the report to the U.S. embargo on Cuba, drawing parallels familiar to supporters of the Havana regime: “Just like the U.S. blockade on Cuba. To the trash.”
Alongside the symbolic gesture, CODEPINK announced they had delivered a petition signed by thousands demanding Rubio to lift the embargo. “It says the same: put the Cuba report in the trash and lift the blockade,” Benjamin explained in the video.
Freedom of Expression: A Stark Contrast
The scene raises a provocative question: what would happen if a group of Cuban citizens attempted a similar protest outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Communist Party headquarters in Havana?
The answer is unsurprising: immediate arrests, charges of “disrespect” or “enemy propaganda,” and likely imprisonment. In the U.S., the activists filmed their protest, shared it on social media, and went on with their lives.
This contrast is particularly striking given CODEPINK's history with the Cuban government.
CODEPINK's Involvement with Cuba
In March 2026, the organization organized the “Our America Convoy,” comprising around 100 participants and a charter flight from Miami, delivering 6,300 pounds of medicines valued at $433,000 directly to the Cuban government.
As a result, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) launched an investigation into potential sanctions violations involving Benjamin and streamer Hasan Piker.
The State Department report also identifies the ICAP —Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples— as a central coordination hub between the regime and foreign solidarity organizations.
Benjamin criticized the document as “an incredible piece of garbage” on Democracy Now! on July 28, while CODEPINK publicly derided it as a “99-page conspiracy theory” with “imagined and fabricated links to foreign governments.”
Allegations of Radical Influence
Rubio, in presenting the report, described Cuba as “the chief sponsor of radical leftism and Third Worldism” in the United States. The report connects the regime with groups such as the Democratic Socialists of America, the National Lawyers Guild, the Venceremos Brigade, and The People's Forum, along with historical ties to the Black Panthers, the Weather Underground, and the Puerto Rican FALN.
Despite the protest, the activist in the video acknowledged the dire situation in Cuba: “Every day I receive reports from Cuba that the situation is worse, worse, and worse. It’s catastrophic,” she admitted, without attributing this reality to the seven decades of communist dictatorship that have led to these conditions.
Understanding the CODEPINK Protest and Marco Rubio's Cuba Report
What was the purpose of CODEPINK's protest at the State Department?
CODEPINK protested to criticize and reject the State Department's report on Cuba, which they believe wrongly blames Cuba for various issues in the U.S. and globally.
How did CODEPINK express their opposition to the report?
The activists threw a copy of the report into a trash can in front of the State Department and delivered a petition demanding the lifting of the embargo on Cuba.
What does the State Department's report allege about Cuba?
The report claims that the Cuban regime has constructed a network of espionage and propaganda to weaken the United States from within, naming CODEPINK among the influenced organizations.