Democrat Raphael Warnock Worked at Church that Hosted Cuban Dictator Fidel Castro

Democrat Raphael Warnock is locked in a battle with Senator Kelly Loeffler ahead of a January 5th run-off to decide who will represent Georgia in the U.S. Senate.

A recently published report from FoxNews.com shows that Warnock worked at a church that hosted now-deceased Dictator of Cuba Fidel Castro in 1995 for an address to the congregation. 

FoxNews.com: “Castro received a similarly warm reception at Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, where Warnock worked at the time. The Miami Herald reported at the time that Castro ‘blast[ed] the United States with the vigor that was missing from his speech to the United Nations earlier in the day and winding up the evening with a rousing rendition of the socialist hymn Internationale.’

“In C-SPAN footage of the event, head pastor Calvin Butts appears to praise Castro, prompting chants of ‘Fidel! Fidel! Fidel!’ from the audience. A translation of Castro’s speech revealed him wondering why he was welcomed at the church, and noting that he changed from his business suit into military fatigues as he prepared for the event. He also described the blockade as ‘crazy’ and ‘obsolete.’ What appears to be additional footage on YouTube pans to the audience cheering Castro.”

Castro’s appearance at the church came as he visited New York City as part of a trip to speak at the United Nations. Castro’s Cuba has long been a place where the government executes totalitarian control over its economy and people. The year Castro appeared at the church, Human Rights Watch published a report detailing human rights abuses and perspective on what life is like inside Cuban for its citizens.

Human Rights Watch: “The Cuban government continues to violate systematically the rights to freedom of expression, association, assembly, privacy and due process of law. The country’s repressive legal structure is unchanged: laws prohibiting and penalizing “enemy propaganda,” “clandestine printing,” and “contempt of authority,” among others, remain on the books…

“…Numerous Cubans remain imprisoned for peacefully expressing their disagreement with government policy: in one instance, for as little as writing a critical letter to the secretary-general of the United Nations. Although prosecutions are fewer, state security police continue to arrest, detain, harass and intimidate human rights monitors, labor organizers and pro-democracy activists, to refuse them travel visas, and otherwise to restrict their movements. These individuals, whom the authorities assail as “counterrevolutionaries,” are kept under strict surveillance and discriminated against in employment.”

Warnock will continue to face questions about his past as the race is vaulted into the political spotlight. No one should be expecting revelations such as this one to stop as January 5th comes closer.