Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, the national coordinator of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) and one of the so-called "Five Heroes" of the Cuban regime, posted this Saturday images of a street fair at the intersection of Línea and L in Vedado, accompanied by the hashtags #CDRCuba, #CubaNoSeRinde, and #LaPatriaSeDefiende, in an attempt to project normalcy amid the worst social crisis that Havana has faced in years.
The images show tents, vendors, clothing, parked motorcycles, and the Cuban soda brand Tukola, all set in an apparent atmosphere of commercial activity.
"Right now, at the fair on Línea and L, in the Havana Vedado," Hernández wrote as the only text in both posts.
The reaction from Cubans on social media was immediate and forceful: dozens of users directly asked why they weren't posting videos of the protests and the repression happening on the island instead of showing fairs.
The publication came just two days after the police violently repressed demonstrators in the Playa municipality in Havana, utilizing special forces known as "black berets" and State Security patrols.
Since May 13, Havana has erupted in protests across several locations in the capital, featuring pot-banging, street blockages, and slogans such as "Food and power!" and "Down with the dictatorship!" in municipalities like Marianao, Nuevo Vedado, Luyanó, Santos Suárez, San Miguel del Padrón, Playa, Puentes Grandes, and Guanabacoa.
The regime also responded with a massive internet outage in Havana amidst the protests, seen as a deliberate measure to prevent the spread of images of the repression.
Blackouts in the capital lasted between 20 and 22 hours daily, and the Cuban government itself publicly acknowledged that there was no diesel or fuel oil left to support the electrical system.
The pattern from Hernández is not new. On May 14, he posted messages interpreted as an implicit admission that protesting in Cuba can be costly. On May 12, he stated that Trump "has no idea" what is happening in Cuba, generating a new wave of criticism. In April, he posted a video of Cubans dancing after a political event to counter the argument that attendance was forced.
In all cases, the common denominator remains the same: while the Cuban people suffer from blackouts, scarcity, and repression, Hernández publishes propaganda that aims to project an image of normality or discredit the protests.
On Friday, the United States Embassy issued a security alert in Cuba due to power outages and accumulated social tension, while new protests and rising tension were reported in the capital.
The crisis of May 2026 is set against the backdrop of the collapse of the Cuban energy system, worsened by the disruption of Venezuelan crude oil supplies and the tightening of U.S. sanctions, in what analysts describe as a Cuba on the brink of collapse that is facing the dizzying prospect of change.
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