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Several posters with messages against the ruling Miguel Díaz-Canel and the Cuban communist system recently appeared in Santa Fe, on the Isle of Youth, marking an unusual event in this locality.
The graffiti was made on visible structures of the "Florecita de Azahar" preschool and on a bus stop in front of this educational institution, according to reports and photographs sent to the editorial team at CiberCuba.
Among the written phrases, expressions such as "Díaz-Canel singao," "Down with communism," "Homeland and Life," and "Freedom" can be read, slogans that refer to the social discontent that gained momentum following the popular uprising on July 11, 2021 (11J).
Residents of the area reported at least four different graffiti artworks, suggesting a deliberate, possibly coordinated act of protest rather than an isolated incident.
These public demonstrations of rejection occur amid a severe energy crisis that is affecting the Pine Island territory for the first time, with blackouts lasting up to five continuous hours and cycles of electrical rationing that profoundly disrupt daily life.
Although the Isle of Youth had managed to stay outside the national blackout scheme thanks to its electrical autonomy, as recently reported by CiberCuba, since June it has been facing power outages similar to those of the rest of the country, which has led to a noticeable increase in public discontent.
These expressions of protest occur in a place where there has historically been strict political control. In 2021, a young man was detained after writing "Down with the dictatorship" on a wall of the same island.
A year later, in 2022, several opposition members were penalized for protesting on 11J, highlighting the repressive response of local authorities to any expression of dissent.
The content of the current messages, the selection of public spaces—such as a children's center and a transportation stop—and their timing reveal a turning point in the social mood on the Island. For the first time, the deterioration of living conditions due to the energy and economic crisis appears to have overcome the fear of reprisals.
So far, there have been no reports of arrests or official reactions following the appearance of these posters, although it is common for authorities to act quickly to erase the graffiti and enhance security in the area, as has happened in other provinces of the country.
These events reaffirm that the climate of social discontent continues to spread, even in traditionally more controlled regions, and that the crisis of the system is not only structural but also symbolic: even the walls of preschool facilities are not safe from the outcry of the people.
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