The Cuban opposition figure Rosa María Payá stated that "the Cuban people are tired" and argued that the recent protests on the Island reflect the exhaustion of a population that, she said, is rising "not against the embargo, but against the regime that oppresses us."
His statement came amid the tension generated by the protests in Morón, Ciego de Ávila, and the official response from the regime, which once again attributed the crisis to the "energy blockade" and warned that it would not tolerate "violence" or "vandalism."
In the message, Payá presented social discontent in Cuba as the result of decades of repression.
"The Cuban people are tired. For 67 years, this dictatorship has denied us our most basic human rights, our humanity, our dignity, our future," he expressed.
Based on that premise, he stated that the citizenry is rising up because "we deserve nothing less than freedom."
The opposition figure also made a broader political call by stating that "this dictatorship must end, and it must end right now," before requesting international support with the phrase: "Please, stand with us."
The popular uprising in Morón
Payá's words align with a new wave of citizen discontent, particularly evident in Morón, where numerous videos circulated during the early morning of groups of residents walking the streets, chanting slogans against the government and conducting pot-banging protests.
These demonstrations occurred in a context of increasing discontent due to prolonged blackouts, food shortages, and the overall deterioration of living conditions.
During those protests, confrontations were also recorded in front of the municipal headquarters of the Communist Party, where there was a fire in the public street and damage to the building.
One of the most delicate episodes was captured in a video widely circulated on the internet, in which a young man is seen falling wounded after a gunshot is heard while he was near the party building.
In the images, several people assist him and transport him on a motorcycle to a hospital.
However, the official media denied that there had been gunfire against protesters and asserted that the injury occurred due to a fall.
The regime's reaction came through various channels. Roberto Morales Ojeda, a member of the Political Bureau and Secretary of Organization of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, wrote on X that the lack of fuel, "exacerbated by the energy blockade imposed by the United States government," has complicated the operation of the National Electric System and led to an increase in blackouts.
He added that public discontent is understandable, but emphasized that "violence, vandalism, and disorder are unacceptable."
Miguel Díaz-Canel, for his part, also wrote on X that the demands are "legitimate" as long as they are expressed with "civility" and "respect for public order."
In his message, he reiterated his accusation against the United States for the blackouts, referring to a "energy blockade," and concluded with a direct warning: "There will be no impunity for vandalism and violence."
The official narrative has sought to portray what happened in Morón as isolated disturbances led by a small group of people manipulated from the outside.
Official media reported five arrests, while profiles linked to governmental institutions shared videos of empty streets in the early morning to assert that the city was "completely peaceful."
Rosa María Payá's statement stands as a direct challenge to the official narrative.
While the regime insists on blaming the crisis on the blockade and delegitimizing protests when they turn into disorder, the activist argues that the root of the unrest lies in the accumulated exhaustion of the population after decades of repression, shortages, and lack of freedom.
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