A young Cuban captured the chaos that unfolded on Monday at a bank in Havana, where a crowd was gathered at the door engaged in a heated argument.
The incident took place at the local bank in San Rafael, in the municipality of La Lisa.
"This is after a month of work, gentlemen; you have to build it up to get paid," said the video’s author.
The footage shows several people discussing among themselves about who was supposed to go in. In the end, a woman confronts the young man, telling him that she is a police officer and that he cannot film.
Long lines and confrontations at banks to withdraw money are very common scenes in Cuba following the failure of the monetary policy adopted by the regime with the infamous Economic Reorganization.
This week, the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH) reported that banks continue to face a shortage of cash to meet the demands of citizens.
"The lines to cash out last for several days, and on top of that, there are ongoing blackouts that suspend operations," stated the OCDH on its X account.
Often, people spend the night waiting in line to access the limited cash available when the bank opens the next day.
In July, a resident of Santiago de Cuba who chose to remain anonymous sent a photo to the editorial team of CiberCuba showing a long line that formed at dawn near the bank located at the intersection of Garzón and Tercera streets in the Santa Bárbara neighborhood.
"The majority doesn't even have the hope of getting cash," the whistleblower pointed out.
"Knowing that people aged 80 are sleeping on the streets just to be able to withdraw cash from ATMs or banks is criminal and abusive towards this vulnerable group. (...) It’s the same every month, retirees trying to withdraw their pensions, and workers doing the same with their salaries," he emphasized.
In a country where even ATMs lack cash, the Cuban regime approved a program last August aimed at banking the nation, introducing measures to encourage the use of electronic payment and collection channels while also minimizing the use of cash as much as possible.
The rapid and mandatory push for banking has effectively created a serious issue in accessing cash.
People are unable to withdraw their salaries due to a lack of funds at ATMs and state-run centers that offer extra cash services, all occurring amid inflation that is draining the pockets of workers and pensioners.
Filed under:
