Amid the massive blackout that left much of Havana in darkness on Sunday night and into Monday morning, residents of the 10 de Octubre municipality staged a protest against the widespread crisis the population is facing.
On the corner of Juan Delgado and Lacret, in the Santos Suárez neighborhood, the glass of the ATM from Banco Metropolitano (BANMET) was smashed with stones. According to witnesses, the incident occurred during the early hours of the morning, when darkness engulfed the area and the citizens' frustration over the lack of essential services was evident.
Images shared on social media showed the visible damage to the bank facility: broken glass, debris on the floor, and a clear indication of accumulated frustration.
At dawn on Monday, those waiting in line to enter the bank were murmuring among themselves about what had happened, as shown in a video shared by the independent media 14ymedio. Some claimed that it was not the first time something similar had occurred at that corner.
The nationwide blackout occurred due to a malfunction in the national electrical system, but so far, the authorities have not provided a detailed explanation or an official report on what happened or the estimated duration of the impacts.
The growing scarcity of food, the lack of drinking water, medications, and now the instability of the power supply, have pushed many Cubans to the brink. On social media, this situation has been interpreted as a sign of citizen frustration with a condition they deem unsustainable.
Meanwhile, the official silence regarding what happened and the lack of concrete answers continue to fuel popular discontent in a city that increasingly feels shrouded in darkness in every sense.
Protesting is a crime in Cuba
This attack adds to a series of similar incidents reported in other provinces of the country, at a time when citizen frustration is intensifying due to the collapse of the banking system and the growing trend of “forced banking.”
In July, another similar incident was reported by BANMET, which reported the attack on one of its ATMs located at branch 300, at the intersection of Diez de Octubre and Lacret streets, in the eponymous municipality of the Cuban capital.
The incident, which occurred during a widespread power outage that left much of Havana without electricity, was described by the banking entity as an action that "openly threatens public tranquility and safety."
Although the bank affirmed that such incidents "do not characterize our hardworking people," it acknowledged the growing public discontent over the cash shortage and the ongoing deterioration of its ATM network.
In September 2024, a bank in the historic center of Santiago de Cuba was also stoned during the early morning. According to citizen reports, the attack reflected the exhaustion of a population forced to sleep in the streets to secure a spot in line and access their wages.
In July of the same year, another similar incident was reported at the José Martí Urban Center, also in Santiago, where a young barber, allegedly in a medical crisis, broke the windows of a bank branch.
In a country where the Penal Code categorizes these acts as sabotage—a crime that can be punished with severe prison sentences and, in extreme circumstances, even the death penalty—each thrown stone takes on a political dimension. Expressing discontent publicly is considered a crime, and any damage to the state financial system can be interpreted as an attack on national security.
These actions, although officially rejected as vandalism, reflect a growing desperation among the citizens, caught between a dysfunctional economic system, a shortage of basic resources, and the inability to peacefully express their discontent.
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