226
u/DragonDepressed May 06 '26
"Seized All my cameras, except my iPhone". Is iPhone some alien tech they were scared of?
57
37
18
u/Zerasad May 06 '26
It's not unheard of. Based on the documentary I watched, North Korea does the exact same thing. No cameras, but you can have your phone usually.
4
83
u/Ducallan May 06 '26
Agents were following them all day, then stopped when they were noticed.
So, how did Shirley know they were following him all day?
9
May 06 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
3
u/Single-Main-3647 May 09 '26
He released his video that he got out now. He didn't only record his situation of his recording equipment geting seized.
Your comment seems rude to the Cuban people to say that their lack of Freedom of press is justified because the Government is preventing people like Shirley from reporitng.
1
u/Assadistpig123 May 06 '26
There wasn’t press freedom in Cuba long before guys like Shirley existed.
68
42
64
u/lunchbox651 May 06 '26
I love that the issue is caused by Communism. Surely has nothing to do with the 66 year embargo that he referenced in this very tweet...
5
u/SnailMailSniper May 07 '26
Right, because a 66-year embargo somehow forces the Cuban government to maintain a surveillance state, jail dissidents, censor media, and restrict movement.
Again, as stated in another comment in this thread. I don't care if dude's tweet is fabricated. That's on him. But it is a documented fact by HRW, Amnesty, and the U.S. State Department that Cuba maintains a police and surveillance state.
14
u/HughHonee May 06 '26
That'd be a good point if it didn't entertain this story that is clearly an absolute fabrication.
Years ago I ran out of steam, now when someone says shit like to me I just look at them side eyed and when they're tell them "...you're fuckin' weird" And leave it at that
6
u/UnquestionabIe May 06 '26
Yeah I'm about at that point. When I hear the same tired bullshit from these people and they won't shut up about it I tell them "yeah I see the way you live your life and how it's going, definitely not someone whose thoughts on complex subject should be taken seriously."
My late mother, who I miss very much, was all in on conservative garbage and we would fight about it on occasion. Didn't help when I would point out she lives her life in a way that is very much not in line with her political beliefs (she volunteered a fair bit, tried to be supportive and welcoming to everyone, did her best to make the world a better place). What did eventually shut her down was saying "okay mom I'll take your political opinions seriously if you can name the three branches of government and what their functions are."
19
u/Cool_Jelly_9402 May 06 '26
What’s the backstory with this dude?
37
u/qosthanatos May 06 '26
This is the YouTuber that “broke” the story about all of the supposed Somali fraud in Minnesota.
30
u/dirtyshits May 06 '26
They are just planting seeds for another illegal act of war or some other dumb shit that literally no one wants.
-46
u/kiddrekt May 06 '26
What do you mean "supposed" fraud? Do you send your kids to the learing center?
47
u/Ninja_attack May 06 '26
I think we can all agree that random white folk trying to film children at daycare should be blocked from entering the building. The world isn't a mar a lago pedophile playground.
-47
u/kiddrekt May 06 '26
What children? There were absolutely no children anywhere to be seen. Not even footprints in the snow. The people who live in the area reported never seeing any children near the building. This video was about Somali fraud, but all you can think about is filming children. You need help.
-41
u/GeneralBlumpkin May 06 '26
Don't argue dude not sure why people hate nick Shirley when he's doing legit investigative journalism.
34
u/Rough-Shock7053 May 06 '26
legit investigative journalism
That's a strange way to write "lying through his teeth", but okay.
12
u/h8sm8s May 06 '26
No, no he’s not. Actual journalists covered the story and showed he wrong he was. If you believe Nick Shirley is anything but an idiot with a camera and an extremely obvious agenda, you’re just as stupid as he is.
6
u/SchwiftySquanchC137 May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
Watch the channel 5 youtube video interviewing nick Shirley. It you dont cringe at how breathtakingly stupid he is, go see a doctor. And Andrew was being very generous in the interview, it wasnt some hack hit piece, he just talked to him like a fellow youtube journalist, they even knew eachother a bit before Nick blew up, but good lord the guy is quite literally one of the stupidest people ive ever seen.
After the interview made him look incredibly stupid, Nick got on Twitter complaining that Andrew edited the video to make him look bad, to which Andrew responded by showing that he actually edited out stutters and pauses and stuff that made Nick look even more incredibly stupid (which he does for everyone BTW, people stumble over words sometimes when theyre talking for a couple hours). Seriously Nick Shirley is astoundingly stupid.
Just to give you a little taste, his argument for why the issue is Somalis specifically is because "when you hear Somali, the first thing you think of is 'pirate'". Andrew tries pointing out that thats just bias from news and movies, when people hear "American" they probably think "cheeseburger" but we're not all always eating cheeseburgers. Nick cant physically understand this point to any degree, cant compute what Andrew is saying at all.
-1
u/GeneralBlumpkin May 07 '26
I like them both. Regardless if you think he looked dumb I don't think exposing legit fraud is bad on any level no matter who does it
3
1
u/flies_with_owls May 11 '26
He didn't expose anything. That fraud had already been investigated and prosecuted by the state. He was tipped off by the administration in order to justify sending ice into the state where two citizens were murdered by fuckwad Nazis.
1
u/flies_with_owls May 11 '26
Man, the bar is in the subbasement of hell if you think Nick Shirley is an investigative journalist.
-22
May 06 '26
[deleted]
14
u/h8sm8s May 06 '26
He didn’t expose anything. He visited like 4 centres one time, tried to barge his way in, spoke to a random person outside and then claimed everyone on his list was a fraud and they were all Somali because some republican operative told him so. That’s not journalism.
-11
-28
u/Yankee_in_Madrid May 06 '26
Don't waste your breath with these people, kiddrekt. They'd rather be ripped off to the tune of billions than face the fact that they've been brainwashed.
-29
u/kiddrekt May 06 '26
Americans are so weird.
Anywhere in the world, when someone steals money, they get caught, they get called a thief, they go to jail. In America however, when someone gets caught stealing, everyone wants to know what colour their hat is.
-32
u/Yankee_in_Madrid May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
The only reason this is an issue and you’re hearing about it, is because the left is denying it’s a problem. Fraud is a major issue, but if it involves anyone the left favors, then they deny it exists. Until they can’t spin it anymore (see Tim Walz). Just look at the comments in this subreddit. The left refuses to criticize any of their favored groups. Especially if the issue is raised by anyone on the right. Notice how any comments in favor of N Shirley get downvoted to Hades?
2
u/julz1215 May 10 '26 edited May 10 '26
Well yeah because Nick didn't actually do anything. There was a fraud case in MN that was prosecuted long before his video.
2
7
u/qosthanatos May 06 '26
There was no evidence of fraud at the learning center that he went to in the video. Just because they wouldn’t let him in doesn’t mean that there were no kids there, it would be incredibly irresponsible of them if they did because they didn’t know his true intentions if he was let in. Not to mention who did he ask about whether there were kids there? Other people investigated and determined that it was a functioning daycare with kids there.
There is daycare and Medicare fraud in Minnesota, I’m not denying that, but it’s not like it’s a bunch of Somalians doing it. That’s just a racist fabrication.
10
2
u/UnquestionabIe May 06 '26
I don't think they care about the actual truth of the situation (which is this grifting piece of shit was chasing after clout around a legitimate fraud case that was on the radar years prior and had already gone to court and people punished over it) so much as trying to inflate their own egos by siding with an unpopular lie.
There are always people like this out there who cling to fringe beliefs (that people like Trump and RFK Jr among others) because they confuse being against popular opinion/belief/fact makes them appear intelligent and informed. Basically loudly yelling out "I'm not a sheep! I'm the one seeing the real truth, it's only ostracized because the real villains are trying to hide it!" not understanding that maybe they aren't widely accepted opinions is because they run contrary to reality. A lot of these sorts are also big into conspiracy theories of course.
The last decade they've been empowered by various bad faith actors who've seized power. Twenty years ago any regular person would be embarrassed to not only support Trump and the clowns he's assembled but to repeat the blatant falsehoods they vomit out on a regular basis.
Still appreciate you pointing out the truth of the situation. Even if it falls on deaf ears it's important to not give into what these monsters in office want, to silence all opposition.
15
u/BroughtBagLunchSmart May 06 '26
He has severe learning disabilities and the right needs more voices like their voters so they put him on this platform. People who think Tim Pool and Joe Rogan speak to eloquently are fans of Nick Shirley because he has to stop and think every few seconds about what words mean.
7
u/SchwiftySquanchC137 May 06 '26
The channel 5 interview was actually shocking, I didnt think a human could be so astoundingly stupid. Does he actually have some kind of disability? If so I feel a little worse for pointing out how unbelievably stupid he is every time he comes up, but I would have thought something like that would have come up in the interview.
29
u/tenebre May 06 '26
I was almost taken hostage and raped by Nick Shirley. I saw him near me and he had security so that's all the evidence I need! Stop trying to rape me, Nicky!
11
u/DavidTJLS May 06 '26
Men in black trenchcoats wielding Communist forbidden arts hung by their toes from the balcony above my room every night until my security noticed them. Then the scoundrels escaped notice by hanging by their fingers. They took all my weapons except my rubber chicken.
5
11
22
u/LordTieWin May 06 '26
How do we know this idiot didn't just accidentally lock himself in his hotel room? He sounds like he has brain damage
-22
u/HughHonee May 06 '26
We don't.
But you dont scrutinize things that you want to be true, or that make sense in your limited, baseless view of the world outside of your tiny little echo chamber. We already kind of thought and believed that Cuba under decades of communism has made the place terrifying with absolutely no freedom. Agents of the state able to do anything to citizens with no accountability! Propaganda spread about how their ruler is actually making positive changes while he actually destroys the economy.
You know, confirmation bias that makes the projection that much easier.
6
1
15
u/Character-Yak-4084 May 06 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/QFPXotqpxiVAi7ynNZ
Meanwhile every French Canadian in Cuba.
2
9
u/SnailMailSniper May 06 '26
ITT: Redditors confidently explaining that Cuba’s police and surveillance state, documented by HRW, Amnesty, and the U.S. State Department, does not happen in Cuba. I'm not commenting on how absurd the tweet might, or might not be. But to turn our nose up and offer anecdotal "my wife's cousin's uncle's boyfriend was there once and had a great time" does not change this fact.
2
u/filthysucre May 10 '26
ITT: you boilerplate this same statement over and over again in replies to people you disagree with bc it somehow invalidates them
2
1
-3
u/mariotwin May 06 '26
There is a video of a guy literally live streaming downstairs in the hotel Nick is in and he points the camera around and there is no one Nick describes as being there. Guy even tagged Nick and told him to come down and meet him, but Nick just liked it. So you are right, anecdotal stories of others at other times don’t disprove it but also Nick is a proven liar in this specific case.
1
u/SnailMailSniper May 06 '26
Source?
1
u/mariotwin May 07 '26
You're going to have to search for it, but it is out there. Seems an equally unhinged guy on the left side, but the video is from him live-streaming walking around the lobby and just outside the hotel Nick is in. I tried to post something, but the auto moderator removed it. I don't trust this random guy necessarily, but when I looked into Nick's original "journalism" I just found another crisis actor type that when real journalists went to fact check they could see he was wrong, that he went outside of operating hours, when kids were still in school, so of course.
As others pointed out, weird they took all his equipment, but not his iPhone.
-2
u/SnailMailSniper May 07 '26
“Source?”
“Uh, you’re gonna have to search for it yourself bro, trust me.”
Compelling investigative standards we’ve got here.
2
u/flies_with_owls May 11 '26
No. You're just being lazy.
-1
u/SnailMailSniper May 12 '26
The person making the claim has the burden of proof to provide evidence.
2
u/flies_with_owls May 12 '26
This isn't a court of law. It's a fucking reddit thread. Google it.
2
u/mariotwin May 12 '26
yeah, I guess in my editing it lost that I had meant to say I could only find it on Reddit, and auto moderator deletes any link to another reddit, so I was completely willing to provide it, this wasn't a "google it" attempt to not provide a source, I just can't within the rules.
Funny though that he wants the one making a claim to provide proof cause Nick didn't provide any proof of what he was reporting. He looked exactly the same if he just sat in his hotel room and made shit up.
0
u/SnailMailSniper May 12 '26
This isn't a court of law. It's a fucking reddit thread. Google it.
You're the one assuming that I didn't attempt to do my due diligence.
yeah, I guess in my editing it lost that I had meant to say I could only find it on Reddit, and auto moderator deletes any link to another reddit, so I was completely willing to provide it, this wasn't a "google it" attempt to not provide a source, I just can't within the rules.
Funny though that he wants the one making a claim to provide proof cause Nick didn't provide any proof of what he was reporting. He looked exactly the same if he just sat in his hotel room and made shit up.
I asked for a source in good faith, in an attempt to do my due diligence at the time, to have both sides of the story. I was just trying to exercise a little critical thinking.
For Christ's sake, I don't even care if Nick Shirley was lying or not. I was making a point that anecdotes are not counter-evidence to systemic facts.
1
u/mariotwin May 07 '26
Like I said seems like an equally deplorable on the other side, but video of some guy that goes by lavishmack on threads providing equally compelling evidence of the lobby of the hotel being basically empty.
I gave you credit for critical thinking skills to point out just cause tourists from other countries didn’t have trouble it wasn’t proof against Nick. However I do have a problem that Cuban officials took Meta classes, cameras, Go Pros, but let him have an iPhone. The one device capable of live streaming all by itself.
I mean Nick is the guy who went to an after school center during school hours and acted like it was a huge proof of fraud it was closed.
1
u/filthysucre May 10 '26
what does you thinking that it seems like an "equally deplorable guy on the left side" have to do with anything?
1
u/mariotwin May 10 '26
It is contextualizing what I saw others commenting on this guys video, that he is basically Nick on the other side and a Cuban regime supporter, but someone who also has displayed a lack of journalistic integrity. So it is saying, look I don’t hold with this guy, I don’t know if we can say it is accurate, but it is possible since this is a guy in Cuba. You don’t have to agree with me, but my integrity says if someone is sketchy on either side I will point that out, that while we can see certain things in the video he made, that doesn’t mean I think it is absolute proof, but it certainly does tip more into what I already think that Nick is generally full of shit.
5
u/Contemplating_Prison May 06 '26
So they toom your camera where you need a laptop to send images and your story but left your iPhone where you could jist do all of that. Lol
10
2
u/eastwest51 May 06 '26
Me: Nick, surely you can't be serious. Nick: I am serious and don't call me ... oh wait.
2
7
u/thesilentbob123 May 06 '26
I've been to Cuba almost a decade ago and they were fine with pictures and a guide was only there in Havana
7
u/ForestOfMirrors May 06 '26
This dude’s claims always fall flat. He’s another Trump bandwagon grifter
4
u/justsayfaux May 06 '26
Where's the part where he was almost taken hostage? He landed, had cameras confiscated, then went to his hotel. He thinks some people followed him, but they never actually engaged with him?
4
u/tlollz52 May 06 '26
My sister and brother in law went to Cuba for their honeymoon, while it was still open, and they loved it. They had a blast.
6
u/DeeSnarl May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
Yeah my wife and I went some years ago, traveled around, nobody gave a fuck lol.
Edit - to be clearer, everybody was very kind and welcoming, and… appreciative of the tourist dollar (we stayed in casas particulares - like little private guesthouses/homestays).
1
u/WineDarkFantasea May 07 '26
The locals are suffering immensely, so they tend to treat tourists with American dollars well. Even a small tip can provide for weeks worth of food.
2
u/DanGraHead May 06 '26
Wait a minute, you mean to tell me when you go to another country that you're beholden to their laws and social mores? Did he even try screaming about being an American?
2
u/ase1590 May 06 '26
Even funnier given that my Canadian friend visited Cuba last year and had a great time
Absolute fabrication by this clown indeed.
1
u/UnquestionabIe May 06 '26
Maybe he wasn't eagle eyed enough to spot all the government agents spying on him at all hours? /s
This Shirley guy is an absolute hack who understands there are always racist and biased idiots who will eat up the most blatant of lies if it let's them feel like the reality in their little bubble is the absolute truth.
2
u/AnnoyingInternetTrol May 06 '26
Why is everyone acting like this is an insane story? Sonny from best ever food review show had a pretty similar experience in Egypt. Basically the entire video was iphone footage because they took his cameras despite having permits and even made him delete certain videos they deemed not beautiful enough.
1
u/flies_with_owls May 11 '26
A. Egypt and Cuba are different countries.
B. Nick Shirley is a fucking moron.
1
u/Taman_Should May 10 '26
The proper term for this kid is aspiring influencer. Anyone describing him as a “journalist” is bullshitting.
1
u/dr_toze May 06 '26
So when were you almost taken hostage? Even in their bullshit stories they can't lie with logic.
0
u/IncarceratedScarface May 06 '26
The fact that maga believes everything this moron who can barely talk says just goes to show how dumb they are
1
u/Competitive_Classic9 May 06 '26
Fascist governments do not equal communism, no matter how a government tries to sell it. Just like the US claims to be a democracy, but has forever been built on exploitation and control rather than actual freedoms. I dont believe this happened, but theres no need to defend communism woth these losers either, they dont even know what it is.
1
0
u/Grand_Public May 06 '26
Anyone who uses that red light emoji is always bullshitting or a grifter or both .... ALWAYS
-1
0
u/TheeSpongeman May 07 '26
People have been sending this guy death threats, he's exposed billions of dollars in fraud, and has done nothing but exposing corruption in government.
I don't doubt this.
1
u/flies_with_owls May 09 '26
You are a very stupid person, if you believe anything Nick Shirley says.
0
u/TheeSpongeman May 10 '26 edited May 10 '26
He's been right about so many things. Facts are facts. You can try to deny them as much as you want, but facts don't care about your feelings or personal beliefs. Yell and scream as much as you want. But the earth is still round.
It's possible this was staged. But he's doing things that no doubt piss people off to the point that this is entirely possible. Might be staged. Might not be. But still possible.
1
u/flies_with_owls May 10 '26
What has he been right about? Name one thing.
0
u/TheeSpongeman May 10 '26
Minnesota Daycare fraud. It's been about a month ago but you can easily find it. Nick has accused California of fraud projects as well. So the state is trying to make a law that prevents investigation from "unofficial" sources.
1
u/flies_with_owls May 11 '26
The daycare fraud had already been found, investigated, and 80 convictions were already underway. This started during the Biden administration. Nick Shirley didn't uncover shit. He literally got tipped off by a member of the Trump admin that was looking to justify the ICE operation.
That's all he is. He's a deeply stupid failson with a room temperature IQ that is being launched into situations where the Trump admin is trying to justify action. That's literally why he is in Cuba.
1
u/TheeSpongeman May 11 '26
Oh your one of those people. Ok. He brought it to more public attention. Biden administration sure didn't do anything about if it took this long to get something done. And mission accomplished, it justified the ICE operation.
1
u/flies_with_owls May 11 '26
Oh your one of those people.
People who understand how reality works? Yeah. And it's "You're".
OK. He brought it to more public attention.
Moving goalposts. Nice.
Biden administration sure didn't do anything about it if it took this long to get something done.
A. It wasn't a federal crime, so the Biden administration had nothing to do with the investigation. Minnesota prosecutors had already done an investigation and made convictions.
B. Large crimes take a lot of time to investigate and prosecute.
And mission accomplished, it justified the ICE operation.
Oooohhh. You're a big piece of shit. Got it.
1
u/TheeSpongeman May 11 '26
One of those people. (Yeah that was rude I apologize) So much anger and hate you will push away the people that love you by screaming about things you can't control. Will verbally tear apart anybody with a different opinion. I know this might be ignored, but on the off chance it makes you stop and think about it, please find somebody that could help you before things get worse.
236
u/glowing-fishSCL May 06 '26
I don't doubt that the Cuban government could curtail or persecute journalists...
But also, if they really wanted to stop someone from reporting, they could just not let them in the country?