Protests against the Communist Party government in Cuba have centred once again, after years, around the party office in the city of Moron. Over the weekend, there was a rare outburst of public dissent triggered by blackouts, which have been caused mainly by a US oil blockade, news agency AP reported from capital Havana.
Moron was also the site of significant protests during anti-government riots in July 2021, the largest since Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution.
A leading anti-government activist, Yoani Sanchez, has since said she’s been holed up in her home by policeman dressed in civilian clothes in Havana.
The situation appeared to near a breaking point as US President Donald Trump, at present in the middle of a war with Iran, also escalated his rhetoric against Cuba, saying he might have the “honour” of “taking Cuba” in some form. “I can do anything I want” with Cuba, he told reporters on Monday night.
Activist Yoani Sanchez offered a rare glimpse into the satte apparatus inside Havana as she confronted a man she said was a cop in civvies, in a video published a video on Facebook, and argued he was violating her rights. “I am a citizen who has not committed any crimes, is not being judged in a court; does not have a restraining order or house arrest. So, why won’t you let me leave?” the activist said.
This came after a rally against power cuts and food shortages was held in the city of Moron, , which is on Cuba’s northern coast about 400 km from Havana, near the tourist resort of Cayo Coco.
It started peacefully late on Friday, but then turned violent in the early hours of Saturday morning, the local newspaper Invasor said.
At least 14 people were detained as the protesters stormed a provincial office of the Cuban Communist Party in Moron, regional party chief Julio Heriberto Gomez told a local newspaper.
Rocks were thrown at the office and furniture seized and set on fire. Videos on social media showed a large fire as people shouted “liberty” in the background. News agency Reuters said it verified the location of one video in Moron.
President Miguel Diaz-Canel reacted too, saying on social media that anger over the prolonged power outages was “understandable”, but warned against violence. “There will be no impunity for vandalism and violence,” he said.
US tightens restrictions after Venezuela siege
The United States tightened the screws on Cuba ever since it “captured” Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, another communist leader and Cuba’s most important foreign benefactor, in January.
With it, Trump cut off Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba. Then he threatened to slap tariffs on any country that sells oil to Cuba. He has since said Cuba is on the verge of collapse and eager to “make a deal” with the United States.
Cuba’s government said on Friday it had begun talks with Washington to try to defuse the crisis.
US demands include that the Cuban President step down.
What happened in Moron?
The city of Moron offered, therefore, an insight into how Cuba is doing, and what it’s leading to.
Public protests, particularly violent ones, are exceedingly rare in Cuba. Its 2019 constitution grants citizens the right to demonstrate, but a law more specifically defining that right is stalled in the legislature, leaving those who take to the street in legal limbo, noted Reuters in a report.
“What initially began peacefully, and after an exchange with local authorities, turned into acts of vandalism against the headquarters of the Municipal Party Committee,” the Invasor newspaper said. “A smaller group of people stoned the entrance of the building and started a fire in the street with furniture from the reception area,” it added.
Vandals targeted several other state-run establishments in the area, including a pharmacy and a market, the report said.
In one video on social media, a gunshot is heard, and the camera pans to a person lying on the ground. State media outlet Vanguardia de Cuba dismissed online reports that the person lying on the ground had been shot by police.
“It’s important for the public to know the truth: no one was injured by gunfire,” Vanguardia de Cuba said on X, “Media manipulation seeks to sow fear and confusion among our people. Let’s not fall for provocations.”
State media said a drunken protester fell over and was now in hospital.
Not just Moron
Several small groups of residents across Havana have banged pots and pans in protest against extended blackouts.
Students on Monday staged a sit-in on the steps of the University of Havana after the government suspended in-person classes. Fuel shortages have vastly reduced public transportation, making it difficult, if not impossible, for teachers and students to get together for classes.
