Pedro Jorge Velázquez, the pro-government journalist known on social media as "El Necio," attempted once again to gloss over the reality of Cuba with his triumphalist rhetoric, but ended up inadvertently highlighting an image that many Cubans recognize all too well: an almost empty Havana, devoid of transportation and with deserted streets.
In a video released on February 14, the regime's spokesperson recorded himself "in the middle of a street in Havana" and attempted to justify the lack of activity with the usual narrative that it is the fault of the "blockade," specifically, the "oil blockade by Trump."
"Here on the street, there's hardly anyone... the road is practically empty. There's no transport due to Trump's oil blockade," he stated while showing the scene.
However, the most controversial part came later, when despite the scene of a city dimmed and lifeless, Velázquez insisted that the Cuban is not sad, as if daily discouragement were a lie invented from the outside.
"That in Cuba people are sad? That in Cuba people have their heads down? No, brother... they don't know Cuba," he said.
In an attempt to reinforce his message, the official walked to a park and pointed to some children as proof that "everything is fine," repeating over and over, "You saw the children there."
For many Cubans, both inside and outside the Island, the discourse comes across as almost offensive, featuring a narrative crafted to deny social exhaustion, the collapse of transportation, the energy crisis, and the emotional strain of a country where survival has turned into an unrelenting routine.
While the regime insists on selling "resistance" and "joy," the reality captured even by its own spokespeople shows something different: empty streets, people confined to their homes due to a lack of fuel, blackouts, or simple despair.
A regular spokesperson for propaganda
Velázquez is not just any figure in the official media ecosystem. Known for openly defending the regime and attacking critics of the system, "El Necio" has been pointed out multiple times for acting as a political operator on social media.
A few days ago, the United States imposed visa restrictions, as confirmed by sources from the U.S. government to Martí Noticias, due to his alleged involvement in harassment campaigns against diplomats in Cuba, specifically against the charge d'affaires of the embassy in Havana, Mike Hammer.
According to the report, he was linked to the dissemination of sensitive content, including images showing license plates and diplomatic vehicles.
After the measure, Velázquez himself reacted by stating that he has never wanted to visit the United States and that the sanction was "irrelevant," attempting to present himself as a victim.
"I've never considered visiting that country... with so much humanitarianism in the neighborhoods of my own country," he stated.
"Don't be fooled," he says... as he shows the void
The irony of the audio is that "El Necio" closes his intervention with a phrase that has turned into a boomerang for his own narrative.
"This is Cuba, gentlemen. Don't be fooled," he said.
And in a way, he is right: what he showed in his recording was not prosperity or enthusiasm, but a city that seems to be at a standstill, with daily life reduced to the bare minimum.
For thousands of Cubans who wait for a bus for hours, who walk kilometers due to a lack of transportation, or who find themselves trapped between blackouts and shortages, the message that "people are not sad" does not sound like optimism; it sounds like mockery.
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