The first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) in Ciego de Ávila, Julio Góngora Casanova, attacked the Cubans who protested against the regime in Morón last Friday.
"A small group of revolutionaries tried to speak. Do you know why that demonstration wasn’t crushed in 5 minutes? Because of the greatness of the Cuban Revolution, because our revolutionary police didn’t want to shoot anyone. They tried to kill the revolutionaries with stones, they cornered them, they took them to a corner in the Party, and still, they didn’t shoot anyone," said the official this Monday during a political event organized by the regime.
"The only injured party is a drunk who climbed onto the Partido and, while trying to take down a sign, twisted his ankle. Later, cowardly in the hospital, he claimed that his wife hit him, saying, 'these injuries are because my wife hit me,'" he asserted, agitated.
"Here are police officers who were hit in the face with stones, here is the Chief who was attacked with a stone, here is the First Secretary who was assaulted with a stone. There are several deputy chiefs who were attacked, several revolutionaries who were hit with stones," he added.
The Cuban regime held a "reaffirmation" event this Monday in front of the rooster in Morón, in Ciego de Ávila, following the massive protest by its residents last Friday.
“To prevent the truth from being distorted, and to reaffirm the unwavering decision of the people of Moron to defend this land, a large representation of Moronenses gathers at the monument to the fighting rooster that identifies the city and its people,” reads a post from the official newspaper Invasor.
The event is part of the regime's damage control after last Friday witnessed the most intense day of protests in Cuba in recent months. A massive demonstration took to the streets of Morón.
Numerous videos on social media show groups of neighbors marching through the streets, chanting slogans against the government and banging pots and pans.
During the protests, confrontations also occurred in front of the municipal headquarters of the Party, where a fire was reported on the public highway and damage was caused to the building.
One of the most striking moments of the protest was captured in a video widely shared online, showing the instant when 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 assisted by several protesters, who carry him and transport him on a motorbike to take him to a hospital.
Although various reports on social media claim that the young man was shot by a police officer —and some even suggest that he may be a minor— official media have denied that there were any shots 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 state media report that five people have been detained.
The ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel said this Saturday that the demands are legitimate as long as they are acted upon with "civility" following the protest in Morón this morning.
“It is understandable the discomfort caused in our people by the prolonged blackouts, as a result of the energy blockade by the U.S., which has cruelly intensified in recent months,” wrote the leader 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, justifiable, or acceptable is the violence and vandalism that threatens citizen tranquility and the security of our institutions," he added.
Díaz-Canel concluded with this warning to the protesters: “There will be no impunity for vandalism and violence.”
Cuba has experienced more than 8 days of ongoing protests against the regime, with shouts and signs calling for "Freedom" and "Down with Communism."
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