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The Cuban regime denied this Sunday that protests against the government took place in the Micro 9 neighborhood of Santiago de Cuba, despite numerous reports and testimonies that circulated overnight about demonstrations and a heavy police presence in the area.
The official version was shared by the pro-government Facebook profile Héroes del Moncada, which accused social media users of distorting what happened and stated that the events amounted to nothing more than a specific discontent over the blackouts.
According to that publication, “various profiles and pages on social media, mostly from users residing abroad, have circulated the news of protests occurring in the Micro 9 area of Santiago de Cuba, where the truth of what actually happened is being lied about and deliberately manipulated.”
The message also denied reports of disturbances and political slogans against the government.
According to that version, “referring to alleged fires in garbage dumps, assaults on a pregnant woman and a minor, and the mention by local residents of slogans against the revolutionary process, something completely false.”
The official profile stated that the situation was confined to a small group of people who took to the streets to complain about the prolonged blackouts.
According to the text, "it didn’t go beyond the fact that a very small group of people who were outside their homes past 10 p.m. decided to gather to express their dissatisfaction with issues related to the electric service.”
They added that it was an incident that -they claimed- “did not escalate into significant events, nor did it have any negative repercussions on the rest of the neighbors in the area.”
The publication also justified the police presence at the scene.
“To the scene, as is completely normal not only in Cuba but also in any other part of the world when incidents of this nature occur, the authorities arrived, who held a dialogue with the neighbors and resolved what was happening there”, the text states.
Additionally, the official profile warned that those who disobeyed the authorities could face consequences: “there were those who chose the path of disobedience, which must not be tolerated by those responsible for ensuring public peace.”
The publication concludes by accusing opponents and critics of the system of trying to manipulate facts to generate distrust towards the government: “Individuals opposed to the values and principles of Cuban society take advantage of incidents like these to spread confusion and hatred through lies and manipulation.”
Reports from the neighborhood contradict the official version
However, the testimonies and reports circulated from within the neighborhood describe a very different scene.
Residents of the Micro 9 neighborhood, in the area of the 300 buildings – known as “Vicoa” – in the José Martí district of Santiago de Cuba, took to the streets early Sunday morning to protest during a prolonged blackout.
The tension in the neighborhood was recorded in audios and messages sent from within the area, according to independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada, who covered the events throughout the night.
According to the testimonies cited by the journalist, several protesters chanted slogans such as “Down with the dictatorship!” and “Freedom!”, while some trash bins were set on fire in the streets.
Mayeta emphasized that the discontent expressed in the streets was not limited to the energy crisis.
"They were not asking for electricity, even though they had no electricity; they were not demanding water or food. They were shouting 'down with the dictatorship' and calling for freedom for the Cuban people," explained the journalist when referring to the messages he received from the location.
Extensive police operation
According to reports gathered during the early morning hours, the repressive forces responded with a significant police presence.
The presence of patrol cars, paddy wagons, members of the so-called "black berets," and plainclothes State Security agents accompanied by dogs was reported in the neighborhood, blocking access to the area.
From within the neighborhood, audios circulated describing the situation:
"People are around, security between Marial and Cohabita stopping individuals and conducting checks, along with civil patrols and dogs," reported one of the individuals who sent messages from the scene.
Several arrests were also reported, including that of a man known in the area as "Rasta" or "Rastafari."
At 12:35 in the morning, according to Mayeta, a message was also received reporting that a minor was assaulted while trying to defend her father during his arrest, and that a pregnant woman had also reportedly been attacked during the police intervention.
Fear that the protests would spread
Due to the risk of the situation spreading to other neighborhoods in the city, the authorities have implemented control measures in various areas of Santiago de Cuba.
According to Mayeta's report, the provincial headquarters of the Communist Party in Plaza de Marte was urgently militarized, while the first secretary of the PCC in the province, Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, summoned the main authorities of the Ministry of the Interior.
The journalist stated that there was concern that the protests could shift to that area, as recently happened in Morón, Ciego de Ávila.
It was also reported that long weapons were distributed at police stations in Santiago de Cuba, including the one closest to Micro 9.
According to reports, the authorities even ordered the music to be turned off in the Chicharrones park and in the Ferreiro neighborhood to prevent gatherings of young people during the early hours of the morning.
A wave of protests amid the energy collapse
What happened in Santiago de Cuba occurs amid a new wave of protests on the island, triggered by the worsening of the electricity crisis following the collapse of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant at the beginning of March.
The most recent incident occurred in Morón, Ciego de Ávila, where during the night from Friday to Saturday, protesters stormed and damaged the municipal headquarters of the Communist Party, burned furniture and police bicycles, and clashed with the police.
After those events, the leader Miguel Díaz-Canel issued a public warning:
"There will be no impunity for vandalism."
While the regime insists on downplaying what happened in Santiago de Cuba, testimonies that circulated during the early hours of the morning depict a scenario of increasing tension in several cities across the country, marked by social discontent in the face of the prolonged economic and energy crisis affecting the island.
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