The political streamer Hasan Piker, known as HasanAbi, published a video from Cuba on Monday in which he claims that Cubans are "simply calm" despite the daily blackouts they experience, attributing this attitude to a supposed "island mentality." The clip, shared on X by user @JaviXCubaLibre, garnered over 41,000 views within a few hours and sparked a new wave of outrage among Cubans both on and off the island.
In the video, Piker describes Cuba as "one of my officially favorite places" and praises what he calls the "resilience" of the Cuban people. "There are rolling blackouts that occur throughout the day, every day, across the country, 11 million people, but today is a beautiful day, 75 degrees, sunny, people are celebrating in the streets. I don't know if it's an island mentality," he stated. "They're just chilling," he added.
The contrast with the Cuban reality could not be more brutal. One day before the video was published, on March 22, there was a new total collapse of the National Electric System at 6:38 PM local time, leaving 90% of Havana without electricity. The generation deficit has reached 2,040 MW against a demand of up to 3,130 MW, with power outages lasting 12 hours or more daily across the country.
Meanwhile, Piker was staying at the Gran Hotel Bristol Meliá Collection, a five-star establishment with prices ranging from 130 to 520 dollars per night, equipped with its own generators, stable internet, and air conditioning. From there, he comfortably streamed live to 1.6 million followers. In response to the criticism, the streamer defended his accommodations, arguing that U.S. government regulations require American citizens to stay in hotels approved by the Cuban government.
Piker traveled to Cuba as part of the so-called Convoy Nuestra América, an initiative organized by Progressive International that gathered over 650 participants from 33 countries, including Pablo Iglesias, Jeremy Corbyn, and Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib. The event culminated on March 21 with an official event presided over by Miguel Díaz-Canel, who took the opportunity to proclaim that "Cuba is not alone."
The reactions were swift. Journalist Yoani Sánchez replied with a straightforward phrase: "We are not a theme park." Comedian Ulises Toirac ironically suggested that Piker should live for a month on 4,000 Cuban pesos and a ration book. Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar denounced the "hypocrisy" of activists who stay in luxury hotels while the Cuban people suffer from the worst energy crisis in decades. Cuban exiles described the streamer’s attitude as a "colossal mockery" and "champagne socialism."
Who is Hasan Piker?
His full name is Hasan Doğan Piker, he was born on July 25, 1991, in New Jersey, raised in Istanbul, and is an American Twitch streamer and leftist political commentator. The nickname "Abi" means "older brother" in Turkish. He previously worked at The Young Turks (a progressive channel founded by his uncle Cenk Uygur) and at HuffPost. Wikipedia
He has over 3 million followers on Twitch, streams almost daily with political commentary, and CNN describes him as a kind of "AM radio for Generation Z." He is a declared socialist, anti-capitalist, and one of the most vocal critics of U.S. foreign policy.
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