Neighbors on San Lázaro Street, in Centro Habana, pushed back against police officers during a nighttime protest that erupted on Tuesday after more than 20 hours without electricity, according to reports shared by exiled Cuban journalist in Mexico José L. Tan Estrada.
"People, unafraid, pushed back the police on San Lázaro street, Centro Habana, where protests continue," wrote Tan Estrada, who covers Cuban reality under the hashtag #TanteandoCuba.
WhatsApp messages shared alongside the video describe the sequence in real time: at 7:53 PM, the officers arrived at the location; one minute later, witnesses reported that the patrol "kept going" and that "people started shouting at them and they left."
One of the messages captures the mood of the protesters with a straightforward phrase: "They are more afraid than alive."
The protest in San Lázaro is part of a wave of pot-banging that shook several neighborhoods in Havana during the night this past Tuesday, with demonstrations reported in Regla, Old Havana, Cayo Hueso, and San Miguel del Padrón, all triggered by power outages of up to 22 hours a day.
In Artemisa, a protest against blackouts ended in tension when residents of the Toledo neighborhood confronted a patrol that had detained a young man, also forcing the officers to withdraw.
This Tuesday, in El Vedado, residents took to the streets in broad daylight after three days without electricity, with police presence reported in the area following the protests.
The energy crisis fueling discontent has structural roots: by June 2026, Cuba had experienced at least three total collapses of the electrical system within four months, with a generation deficit exceeding 2,100 MW and blackouts in some areas reaching up to 22 hours a day.
The regime attributes part of the crisis to pressures on oil supply stemming from a U.S. executive order dated January 26, 2026, although the deterioration of the electrical infrastructure and decades of mismanagement are the structural factors that experts point to as the main cause.
San Lázaro Street has a history of resistance: in July 2023, it was the scene of protests against blackouts with a strong police presence, and during the protests on July 11, 2021, gatherings were also reported on that thoroughfare.
The wave of June 2026 is the most widespread since July 11, with simultaneous protests involving pots and pans in multiple municipalities and at least two documented incidents in which the police had to retreat under popular pressure without making any arrests.
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