Cubans on social media supported the protests on Thursday night in Havana against the lack of electricity and water, expressing messages of anger and desperation toward the Government, which they identify as the main culprit for the crisis that has impoverished increasingly broader segments of society.
“It is abusive, from 5 PM until almost 3 AM, there is no body or mind that can endure it. There is no water, no electricity, no transportation... this feels like a horror movie,” wrote a user on the Facebook page of CiberCuba, reflecting the feelings of thousands who demand freedom and an end to misery.
Other messages call for unity against the regime: “Proud Cubans, unite and protest. Everywhere and always. The power is in the people. The revolution has always triumphed. Freedom for the people.”
The reports place direct blame on the government for the lack of fumigations, medicine, and potable water, while diseases proliferate and food spoils due to the absence of refrigeration.
"That's what we must do, the whole community to the streets, we can't take it anymore, freedom for Cuba," summarized another internet user.
The demands go beyond the immediate situation: "Enough already with being slaves; innocent children are dying from treatable diseases, others from hunger and lack of medicine. My God, do something on that island so that those shameless people leave power... it's been 65 years of anguish, enough already."
The outburst of outrage on social media coincided with the protests that took place on the night of Thursday, October 2, in Centro Habana, where residents took to the streets with pots and pans, chants of “Freedom!” and even bonfires.
Several intersections were blocked in a peaceful protest, including the participation of minors.
The demonstration occurs after one of the most critical days in electricity supply, with outages lasting over 12 hours that affected much of the capital.
In addition to the lack of electricity, the water crisis is compounded, with entire neighborhoods experiencing more than a month without service, forcing residents to pay for private water trucks at exorbitant prices.
So far, the authorities have only provided technical explanations and vague promises of reorganization, while citizens insist that the only solution is popular mobilization to put an end to a system they view as exhausted.
The most recent protests in the Cuban capital are significant because people continue to express themselves, even knowing that each action taken in the streets carries the risk of being arrested and sentenced to long prison terms by the regime.
The harsh sentences for the prisoners from the protests on July 11, 2021 (11J) were an attempt to deter future mobilizations.
Days ago, the Cuban Prosecutor's Office sought sentences of up to nine years in prison against six men accused of participating in a peaceful casserole protest against power outages in the town of Encrucijada, Villa Clara.
However, in this situation, the prosecutor shows a contradiction, as it only refers to the act of "pounding pots," the formal accusation is of public disorder.
Similarly, the repression by the Cuban regime has affected adolescents, following the protests that took place on September 17 in Maniabón, a municipality in Puerto Padre, Las Tunas, when residents took to the streets to demand basic rights such as electricity, water, food, and freedom, reported the platform Alas Tensas.
Previously, the protests on September 13 in Gibara were triggered by prolonged power outages and a lack of water in the El Güirito community.
According to the Cuban Observatory for Human Rights, at least 27 people were detained following the protest, of which four remain imprisoned and the rest are under strict surveillance.
All this despite the fact that the authorities claimed they had held a “frank and honest exchange” with a group of residents from the El Güirito neighborhood, conducted “with great respect and in an atmosphere of dialogue and calm” to explain the causes of the energy crisis.
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