Former adult-film star Mia Khalifa sparked hundreds of responses on social media posts after she used a hashtag and posted a video criticizing the Cuban government amid protests in the country.
“Omg we call the Lebanese President ‘Bay el Khara.’ Cubans and Lebanese have so much in common!” she said in a tweet Friday. “Corrupt leadership, and American sanctions that don’t hurt the corrupt leaders, but rather the innocent civilians.”
Khalifa, who has nearly 4 million Twitter followers, separately blasted Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel in a video message posted to her account on Sunday.
“Diaz Canel: fu—- and assh— and son of a bi—,” Khalifa said in Spanish.
Buenas noches, @DiazCanelB https://t.co/V33CbdqCVA pic.twitter.com/QEvdAAaYie
— Mia K. (@miakhalifa) July 11, 2021
On Sunday, thousands of Cubans took to the streets of Havana in one of the largest anti-government protests in years.
President Biden on Monday called on the Cuban government to respect the rights of its citizens and signaled he sides with the demonstrators.
“The Cuban people are bravely asserting fundamental and universal rights. Those rights, including the right of peaceful protest and the right to freely determine their own future, must be respected,” Biden said. “The United States calls on the Cuban regime to hear their people and serve their needs at this vital moment rather than enriching themselves.”
Several lawmakers, like Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), have also voiced their support for the Cuban protesters.
Khalifa, who is Lebanese, has a massive social media following and often engages with her followers and fans on matters of politics, sports and culture.
As of Monday morning, the hashtag #SOSCuba had hundreds of thousands of interactions, with politicians, media personalities and human rights activists all weighing in.