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The Cuban journalist and activist Magdiel Jorge Castro reported on Wednesday night a strong pot-banging protest in El Vedado, Havana, through his public Facebook profile, where he described the situation as "another night of protests."
"Now. Strong pot banging right now in Vedado, Havana. Another night of protests," Castro wrote in a post with a black background and bold text that underscored the urgent nature of the report.
Independently, the Facebook user "Mandy Caos" also posted a notice with a red background and white letters confirming the "strong pot-banging protest in El Vedado," which reinforces reports about the demonstration.
El Vedado has become one of the recurring epicenters of the citizen protests shaking Havana since March 8, 2026.
The neighborhood, which houses the Palace of the Revolution and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, has been the scene of pot-banging protests on multiple occasions: March 13 and 23, April 17, June 3 — when residents took to the streets after three consecutive days without electricity — and June 19.
On Tuesday, just one day prior, a daytime cacerolazo took place at the corner of 13 and M in El Vedado, with police patrols arriving at the scene.
The driving force behind the protests is the energy crisis affecting Cuba. Power outages in Havana have exceeded 20 and even 33 hours daily across various circuits, while the national electricity deficit reached a record of 2,208 MW on June 25, 2026, leaving approximately 69% of the country without electricity.
The protesters' slogans have escalated from "Food and electricity!" to "Down with the dictatorship!" and "Freedom!" in the streets.
The regime has responded with police repression, deployment of special forces, and at least 14 documented arrests in Havana since March 2026.
The wave of protests in 2026 is regarded as the largest since July 11, 2021, when thousands of Cubans took to the streets in the biggest antigovernment demonstration in decades.
The Cuban Observatory of Conflicts recorded 1,311 protests across the country in May 2026, the highest monthly number known, following 1,133 in April.
Magdiel Jorge Castro, born in Holguín in 1994, is a journalist and human rights activist currently in exile and seeking political asylum in Uruguay.
In December 2022, the government of Bolivia issued a mandatory exit order against him under pressure from the Cuban regime, which publicly celebrated his expulsion during prime time on national television.
From exile, Castro systematically documents and disseminates the protests on the island through his social media.
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