Related videos:
About thirty students staged a sit-in on the steps of the University of Havana to protest against power outages, lack of connectivity, and the impact of the crisis on higher education. This prompted the First Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Modesto Ricardo Gómez, to visit the scene to persuade the young protesters.
According to a report from the agency EFE, the rector of the University of Havana, Miriam Nicado García, also arrived at the scene to calm the peaceful protest.
During the conversation, Gómez tried to persuade the students to abandon the protest.
"This is not going to improve the problems we have," he told them.
One of the university students replied, "Because they haven't listened to us from the very beginning."
After nearly two hours of negotiations, the students agreed to move to another location within the university to continue discussions with the authorities.
Subsequently, the deputy minister declared to the press that the situation the country is experiencing is due to the "U.S. oil blockade," which he described as an aggression that is "massacring an entire society."
According to Gómez, the energy crisis affecting Cuba is a direct consequence of this external pressure and creates an "extremely severe" situation in various sectors of the country, including higher education.
The peaceful protest began around 10 in the morning, when a student sat on the first step of the iconic staircase with an umbrella and a backpack, in response to a call that was spread on social media.
As the minutes passed, other students joined the action while professors, university administrative staff, and State Security agents also arrived at the scene.
During the protest, the students raised concerns about the difficulties of studying amid blackouts, which also impact access to the internet and mobile phone services.
“How many hours of power did you have last week? And do you have connection when the power goes out?” asked a student to a dean, as reported by EFE.
Other students noted that many university students from the provinces have been unable to submit assignments or participate in academic activities due to a lack of connectivity.
Filed under: