Cuban regime distributes three pounds of rice in towns that came out to protest on March 17

The protests of Sunday, March 17 in Santiago de Cuba (17M) caused the appearance of extra rations ofrice in the warehouses of the towns whose neighbors took to the streets to demand food and electricity supply.

This was confirmed this Monday by the apostolic pastorJorge Luis Pérez in statements toMartí News from El Cristo, in Santiago de Cuba. "A truck patrolled by police arrived here, around 12 midnight, full of rice, to distribute the rice to all the warehouses; three pounds of rice," he said.

After failing in his attempt to quell the demonstrations from a rooftop from the Santiago neighborhood of Veguita de Galo, the epicenter of the protests, the first secretary of theCommunist Party of Cuba (PCC), Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, promised on local television to deliver to the population of his territorythree pounds of rice and four of sugar.

Despite the Cuban regime's insistence on blaming the US "blockade" for the food shortage on the island, in a matter of hours the authorities managed the supply of rice, chicken, milk and eggs among the people of Santiago.“Food for today and hunger for tomorrow”said a neighbor, denouncing that it was a cosmetic measure.

At the same time that the food was delivered to Santiago de Cuba, the regime cut off or slowed down internet access in a desperate attempt to prevent the spread of images of new protests, such as those that occurred on March 18 in the José Martí District, where hundreds of neighborsThey took advantage of a blackout to take to the streets to the rhythm of a conga and chanting “Yo me erizo” and “without food or current / pin… for the president.”

“We are, as you know, cut off, without power, without internet. “We are without water, a desert,” said the pastor when asked by the aforementioned media.

For his part, during an appearance on the official channelTurquinoTeVeJohnson Urrutia assured that“As always, the people understood it”, referring to the justifications he gave fromthe famous roof of Veguita de Galo.

“We cannot deny that it was a very tense situation,” acknowledged Johnson Urrutia, although he immediately tried to soften the magnitude of the protest: “But as always the people understood it, because they also saw the highest authorities of this province.” As always, facing the problems.”