The neighbors of Nuevo Vedado in Havana once again banged their pots and pans on Saturday night to express their discontent with the regime.
"Strong cacerolazo in Nuevo Vedado, near Boyeros and Tulipán. We're all Morón right now," reported journalist Yoani Sánchez, who shared a video where the powerful clanging of pots can be heard.
This is the second time in recent days that a "cacerolazo" has been reported in this neighborhood near the Plaza de la Revolución following the one reported last Thursday.
Friday was the most intense day of protests in Cuba in recent months. A massive protest took to the streets of Morón in Ciego de Ávila.
Numerous videos on social media show groups of neighbors walking through the streets, chanting slogans against the government and making noise with pots and pans.
During the demonstrations, clashes also occurred outside the municipal headquarters of the Party, where a fire broke out in the street and damage was reported to the building.
One of the most striking moments of the protest was captured in a video widely circulated on the internet, showing the moment a young man was injured after a gunshot was heard while he was near the PCC building.
In the images, the boy falls to the ground and is helped by several protesters, who carry him and transport him on a motorcycle to take him to a hospital.
Although various reports on social media claim that the young man was shot by a police officer —with some even suggesting he might be a minor— official media have denied that any shots were fired at protesters and maintain that the young man was injured in a fall.
The official narrative has also attempted to portray the events as isolated disturbances led by a small group of individuals manipulated from the outside, and the state-controlled media reports that five people have been arrested.
The ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel said this Saturday that the demands are legitimate as long as actions are taken with "civility" following the protest in Morón early in the morning.
"It is understandable the discomfort that prolonged blackouts cause our people, as a result of the energy blockade by the U.S., cruelly intensified in recent months," the leader wrote on X, attributing the situation in Cuba to the U.S., as is customary in the regime's propaganda.
"And the complaints and claims are legitimate, as long as they are made with civility and respect for public order. What will never be understandable, justified, or accepted is the violence and vandalism that threaten citizens' tranquility and the security of our institutions," he added.
Díaz-Canel concluded with this threat to the protesters: “For vandalism and violence, there will be no impunity.”
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