Neighbors from Toledo, in the province of Artemisa, took to the streets to protest against the prolonged blackouts affecting the area and were involved in a tense confrontation with police officers that ended with the patrol fleeing in response to the crowd's reaction.
The journalist Mario J. Pentón shared a video on Facebook showing the demonstrators and detailed that some charged towards a police patrol after the agents arrested a young man, forcing the officers to leave the area.
A neighbor seen in the recording describes the scene with indignation: "Look, this is in Artemisa, Toledo, and the police already came and took people away, we haven't done anything, we just put up posters, nothing more, we haven’t done anything else."
Cuban authorities have not issued any official statement regarding the incidents reported in Artemisa.
The protest is happening against the backdrop of an energy crisis that has reached historic levels in Cuba. On Monday, the electricity deficit approached 1,940 MW during peak hours, with only 1,160 MW available against actual demand.
The most critical point was recorded on May 13, when the deficit reached a record of 2,153 MW, causing outages of up to 22 hours a day in Havana and other provinces.
That same week, protests spread to at least 12 municipalities in Havana with pots and pans banging, street blockades, and slogans such as “Food and power!”, “Down with the dictatorship!”, and “Light it up!”, which was considered the largest wave of demonstrations since July 11, 2021.
The Cuban Observatory of Conflicts recorded 1,245 protests in March 2026 and 1,133 in April, a 29.5% increase compared to the same month the previous year, along with 176 documented repressive acts occurring only in April.
At least 14 people were arrested in Havana during the protests in May, and a mother from the municipality of Marianao was arrested on Monday for asking for food for her son, amidst the same wave of discontent.
Artemisa is not unfamiliar with this conflict: in November 2024, only 51.69% of its population had access to electricity supply, according to data from the National Defense Council.
The tactic of detaining protesters to disperse demonstrations has been documented in multiple episodes throughout Cuba, and the response of neighbors confronting patrols to defend the detainees has direct precedents in the events of July 11, 2021, and in subsequent protests recorded across the country.
Pentón summarized the events in the video description: "The people are protesting in Artemisa after long blackouts. The police arrested a young man, and the crowd surged against the patrol, causing the regime's henchmen to flee."
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