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Miguel Díaz-Canel sparked a wave of outrage on social media when he responded to the pot-banging protests shaking Cuba with a phrase that encapsulates the regime's script: “Bang the pots for the neighbors to the north”, who are the ones responsible for this blackout,” he stated in an interview with the Puerto Rican weekly CLARIDAD, which has historically been aligned with Castroism.
The statement arose when a journalist from the weekly—who claimed to have been living in Cuba for five years—pointed out that lately he has been seeing pot-banging protests practically every night in his neighborhood due to dissatisfaction with the blackouts.
Instead of assuming any responsibility, Díaz-Canel attempted to turn the protests into propaganda against Washington, without acknowledging the regime's poor management as a cause of the crisis.
The response from Cubans on social media was immediate and forceful, with comments ranging from irony to outright indignation.
"Well then, the order is given: let's bang on pots," wrote one user, taking the leader's suggestion literally. Another was more explicit: "We need to bang harder so that it can be heard."
Many pointed out the cynicism of the statements. "The height of cynicism," summarized one commentator. "That's a blatant mockery of the people," added another. "A whitewash," declared a third.
A phrase circulated strongly among the comments: "Full pots don't make noise; their clattering is for hunger and for freedom."
Others pointed to historical fatigue with the official narrative: “Seventy years and the same discourse,” wrote one user. “These communists make it so easy for me to be against them,” another joked.
There were those who warned about the consequences of the ruler's own declaration: "After he doesn't send anyone to be arrested, if he himself authorized it." And there were also those who were more straightforward: "A blackmailer; down with the dictatorship, long live a free Cuba."
In the interview, the leader acknowledged the extent of the collapse: "There is a shortage of transportation, food, and medicine; there are prolonged power outages lasting over twenty hours. This causes dissatisfaction; no one can be happy, the people are suffering."
However, he attributed all the problems to the U.S. embargo: "the main obstacle to our development is the prolonged blockade and the intensification of that blockade," completely dismissing any responsibility on his part.
The reality on the streets sharply contradicts the official narrative.
On June 25, the electrical generation deficit reached a historic record of 2,208 MW, leaving nearly 70% of the country without electricity, and on Saturday it was still at 2,050 MW, with 11 thermoelectric units out of service.
The regime responded to the pot-banging protests with militarization of the neighborhoods: armed black berets with long rifles, police operations, and Internet outages. Cubalex documented at least 38 arrests in June, including six minors.
Neighbors from Zamora, in Marianao, protested on Tuesday after more than 24 hours without electricity, shouting "Freedom!" and "Down with the dictatorship!". Resident Zea Gisselle summed it up accurately: "They have fuel to patrol the neighborhood and repress, but not to keep the country provided with basic services."
The Cuban Observatory of Conflicts recorded 107 street protests in June, a historic record, nearly double the previous maximum recorded.
Díaz-Canel concluded the interview with his usual rhetoric of resilience: "I am convinced that we will overcome, that we will move forward, that we will prevail, and that we will not give up. We will not give up."
In the streets of Cuba, however, the pots continue to make noise—and not necessarily for them to be heard in Washington.
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