Neighbors from the neighborhood Micro 9, in the area of the 300 buildings - known as "Vicoa" - in the José Martí district of Santiago de Cuba, took to the streets early this Sunday to protest amid a prolonged blackout.
The tension in Micro 9 was documented with audios and messages from inside the neighborhood, according to reported by journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada.
The protesters shouted slogans of "Down with the dictatorship!" and "Freedom!" and set fire to trash bins in the streets, according to the source based on witness reports.
Mayeta emphasized that the demands went beyond the energy crisis: "They were not asking for electricity, even though they did not have electricity; they were not demanding water or food; they were shouting down the dictatorship and calling for freedom for the Cuban people."
The repressive forces responded with a large-scale operation.
Several arrests were reported, including that of a man known as "Rasta" or "Rastafari."
Patrol cars, cage vehicles, members of the so-called "black berets", and State Security agents in plain clothes with dogs arrived, blocking access to the neighborhood.
From within the neighborhood, audio messages were received describing the situation: "People are out and the security between Marial and Cohabita is stopping people and checking them, along with civil officials patrolling with dogs."
At 12:35 AM, Mayeta received a message reporting that a minor had been assaulted while defending her father during his arrest, and that a pregnant woman had also been beaten during the police intervention.
In light of the fear that the protests would escalate, the headquarters of the Provincial Communist Party in Plaza de Marte was urgently militarized.
Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, First Secretary of the PCC in Santiago de Cuba, urgently summoned the top authorities of the Ministry of the Interior.
According to Mayeta, they feared that the protests, as already happened in Morón, Ciego de Ávila, would reach the party headquarters.
The journalist also reported that "long guns have been lowered at the police stations in Santiago de Cuba, including the one very close to the Micro 9 area."
The authorities also turned off the music in the Chicharrones park and in the Ferreiro neighborhood to prevent gatherings of young people.
What happened in Santiago is part of a wave of protests shaking Cuba since early March, triggered by the collapse of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant at the beginning of this month.
The most recent incident occurred on the night from Friday to Saturday in Morón, Ciego de Ávila, where protesters attacked and damaged the municipal headquarters of the Communist Party, burned furniture and police bicycles, and confronted the police.
Díaz-Canel responded with a warning: "There will be no impunity for vandalism."
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