Residents of zone 12 in Alamar, in the municipality of Habana del Este, staged a nighttime protest this Thursday amid a blackout that ended with police presence and at least one arrest, according to videos shared on Facebook by activist Irma Lidia Broek.
Broek, known for documenting abuses by the Cuban state on social media, showcased the tension in the streets through videos showing police vehicles, groups of people, and at least one detainee being taken to a patrol car and removed from the area.
In one of the videos shared by Broekr, a government official can be heard trying to calm the protesters.
Broek posted the videos with the text "DOWN WITH THE DICTATORSHIP" and the hashtags #FreedomForCuba and #Cuba, slogans that reflect the growing frustration in the neighborhood.
The protest this Thursday is part of a wave of demonstrations that has shaken Havana and other provinces between May 13 and May 21, triggered by power outages of up to 20-22 hours daily in several circuits of the capital, a figure acknowledged by the Cuban Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy.
The Cuban electrical system recorded a record deficit of 2,153 MW on May 13, and three days later the maximum impact reached 2,041 MW, leaving 51% of the country without electricity simultaneously.
The protests have spread to at least 12 municipalities in Havana, including Marianao, Playa, Luyanó, Santos Suárez, Guanabacoa, and Regla, as well as Santiago de Cuba and other provinces, in what analysts describe as the largest wave of protests since July 11, 2021.
Alamar is not a new site for these kinds of outbreaks. In March 2026, the neighborhood recorded protests with pots and pans on the 15th, 20th, and 23rd of that month, always accompanied by a police presence and internet outages to limit the dissemination of images.
The repressive pattern has repeated itself in every episode of protest: police deployment, arbitrary detentions, and blocking of mobile data signals. Human rights organizations documented at least 14 detainees in Havana related to demonstrations between March and May 2026, while the ICLEP recorded 179 assaults on freedom of expression and press in Cuba just in April of this year.
On May 15, the Embassy of the United States in Havana issued a safety alert due to electrical instability and protests, warning its citizens about the risks of moving through areas of concentration.
While the regime deploys police to "restore order" on the streets, the Cuban people continue to take to the streets with a slogan that sums up the crisis: "Electricity and food."
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