A clandestine recording of over an hour, leaked this week by the X user @SanMemero, revealed the true extent of the challenge posed by students from the Faculty of Mathematics and Computing (MATCOM) at the University of Havana, in the context of the unpopular tariff adjustment by the state-owned company ETECSA.
In the audio, the young people can be heard demanding direct dialogue with decision-makers, financial transparency from the company, and a thorough review of the connectivity model in Cuba.
The protests began following the announcement of the “tarifazo” on May 30, when ETECSA implemented a maximum limit of 360 Cuban pesos (CUP) per month for national top-ups, equivalent to just 6 GB of mobile data.
This change was interpreted by students as an exclusionary policy that directly affected access to information and online learning. Despite the subsequent offer of a second data bonus of equal value, dissatisfaction did not dissipate.
"If there is a strike, it is counter-revolution."
During the meeting with the rector and the faculty –the date of which is not specified– it was made clear that the students would not settle for technical explanations. "We will not attend classes until there is a response.", stated a student representative.
On her part, the audio also captured the rector's warnings: “If there is a strike, it’s counter-revolution. The University is and will continue to be revolutionary. We cannot play into the hands of those who want to see us in the streets”.
The notice highlighted the increasing discomfort of the political power with a sector of the university youth that does not express itself through traditional confrontation, but rather through critical reasoning.
Several students rejected the ideological blackmail that equates the academic strike with treason. “We are speaking from within the process, from legality, from the right to be heard,” one of them insisted.
A generation that demands to be heard
What began as a protest against the cost of internet access quickly transformed into a broader discussion about political participation, the lack of institutional transparency, and the crisis of the socialist business model.
The young people demanded specific figures regarding ETECSA's revenues, the destination of international top-ups, and the real viability of the current economic scheme.
“They taught us to think and to use data, and now they don't want us to question it,” expressed a student, while another emphasized: “A socialist enterprise cannot pass the cost of its inefficiency onto the people, much less onto the students.”
During the meeting, the phrase attributed to Fidel Castro during a gathering with students in the early 2000s was also recalled: “Students must be listened to, no matter what they say. When they are not heard, the battle is lost.”
This reference to the founder of the regime aimed precisely to appeal to the official history as an argument of legitimacy for dissent against the regime established by the dictator himself, which the government of Miguel Díaz-Canel claims to represent as “continuity.”
Proposals and alternatives
Beyond the criticism, the students presented concrete alternatives: tiered rates, differentiated packages based on social sectors, utilizing Joven Club as free access nodes, creating academic vouchers sponsored by universities, and agreements with international organizations to finance educational connectivity.
"We want solutions that are for everyone, not just for specific sectors," stated a delegate from MATCOM. "What we ask for is direct participation in the discussion of the measures that affect us."
A tension that transcends the classrooms
The meeting was marked by the presence of State Security agents, which was seen as an attempt at intimidation. However, instead of being deterred, the students intensified their demand for respect and institutional seriousness.
In several moments during the exchange, they were accused of acting as "an echo" of the "most reactionary sectors of the enemy". The response was blunt: "Our stance does not follow any foreign script; it responds to the real needs of millions of Cubans who cannot afford internet and are left excluded from the present".
The fact that student leaders used expressions such as "peaceful action," "democratic representation," or "legitimate socialist process" demonstrates that this was not an open confrontation with the system, but rather a call for dialogue that exceeds the traditional channels of control.
The university as a thermometer
Historically, the University of Havana has been a political barometer. What is happening now in MATCOM seems to resonate nationally.
Other faculties, such as Philosophy, Sociology, Communication, and even Medical Sciences, have shown solidarity with the protesters, albeit in more subtle ways.
In recent days, university students across Cuba have circulated letters, anonymous statements, and calls to "suspend educational activities" as a sign of support.
The fear of precedent
For the authorities, the greatest fear is not the specific complaint, but the precedent of student autonomy.
That a department like Mathematics and Computer Science—comprising students trained in logic, data analysis, and critical thinking—confronts issues with solid arguments sends a political signal that goes beyond the technological realm.
And although new rounds of dialogue were promised at the meeting and patience was urged, the students made it clear that they would not willingly return to the classrooms without a clear response that addresses at least some of their demands.
"They told us that Cuba is a revolution in progress. Well, we are marching," said a student as she concluded her speech.
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