A teacher from the municipality of Morón, in the province of Ciego de Ávila, is at the center of a strong controversy on social media after a video emerged in which she reprimands several students for the recent protests that took place in that city and claims that Cuba "is not a dictatorship."
The recording, shared on Instagram by the profile @un_martitodurako8_live_oficial, shows the teacher addressing a group of students while demanding their attention and criticizing the protests that took place days earlier in the municipality.
"Look over here, I'm speaking. Remember well: this is not a dictatorship. If this were a dictatorship, we wouldn't all be here," the teacher states in one of the segments of the video.
During her address, the teacher defends the Cuban political system and questions those who participated in the protests.
“This is a socialism, with all its difficulties and mistakes,” he says, while insisting that the protesters acted under the influence or funding from abroad.
The professor also criticizes the damages reported during the protest against a pharmacy and even claims that "there are medications there," when most are nearly empty in the country. She questions why some participants targeted state facilities.
"Why did they go to throw stones at state shops or other places? Why didn't they throw them at a mipyme?" he questions in the video, in which he also warns that he will inform the various groups of students about what happened.
At another point in the recording, the teacher gives a direct warning: "If there is any student involved in this situation, we'll see what happens," she states.
The images began to circulate shortly after dozens of Cubans took to the streets of Morón on Friday night to protest against the prolonged blackouts, food shortages, and the deterioration of living conditions.
Videos shared on social media show groups of residents marching through various streets of the municipality while chanting slogans of "Freedom!" and banging pots and pans.
In one of the live broadcasts, a participant encouraged other citizens to join the protest. "Morón and Ciego de Ávila out in the streets demanding freedom," can be heard saying.
The demonstration moved through various areas of the city until reaching the vicinity of a police unit. The videos also capture complaints about the economic situation facing the population.
The social unrest reflected in these videos is related to state repression and the deep economic and energy crisis facing the country. In several provinces, power outages exceed 20 hours a day, while food shortages and high inflation persist.
The protests registered in Morón add to other recent expressions of discontent in various locations across the country, where citizens have taken to the streets to demand an end to power outages and improvements in their living conditions.
Filed under: