The activist Leonardo Romero Negrín celebrated this Saturday the second consecutive day with electricity in Havana, but warned that the return of power is not an achievement of the regime but rather a concession won through organized citizen pressure, in a message posted on Facebook: "They are more afraid than they have money in GAESA’s accounts," he stated.
“Second day of our eyes aching and not knowing what to do with so much light,” wrote Romero Negrín with irony, before delivering one of the most powerful statements of his publication: “If we knew the fear they have of us, WHEN WE ORGANIZE, even Díaz-Canel would be willing to give up his ecoflow just so that La Timba and El Fanguito would have electricity starting at 9 PM.”
The activist interpreted the restoration of the electricity service not as a real improvement of the system, but as a calculated maneuver by the regime. "This is a facade and a temporary reprieve against a people that is organizing," he stated, and urged the people of Havana not to give up the habit of banging pots and pans: "Even with light, keep tapping your pots so you don't lose your training, because darkness could return at any moment."
The publication comes at a time of heightened political tension. On the night of this Friday, the 24th, just before the anniversary of the assault on Moncada, the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance had called for a national pot-banging event at 9:00 p.m., which showed images of neighborhoods "strangely" lit, and yet, reports of pot banging were received from Lawton, San Agustín, La Coronela, and La Lisa, as well as Santiago de Cuba and Cienfuegos. In Lawton, neighbors from the Dolores park used kettles and fire extinguishers to amplify the sound of the protest.
Romero Negrín did not overlook those who paid a higher price for demanding electricity. "Remember that to some extent we owe it to you and the anonymous brothers who sleep today in the Vivac for claiming what you and I are 'enjoying' now," he wrote, and asked to "take a minute to think about them and the hundreds of political prisoners who have forged the loss of fear that we have progressively achieved."
Romero Negrín himself is well aware of this repression. He was violently detained on July 1, 2026 during a protest in Centro Habana against the blackouts and lack of water, and released two days later with a fine of 2,000 Cuban pesos. His record of arrests dates back to at least May 2021 and includes detentions during the events of July 11, in March 2025, and in February 2026.
The energy context surrounding your message is devastating. On July 14, only 4% of customers in Havana had electrical service, and on July 6, Cuba experienced its eighth total blackout of the National Electroenergy System in nearly 24 months. On the night of July 23, the Electric Union reported a deficit of 2,315 MW, nearing the historical record of 2,341 MW reached on the 8th of the same month.
That crisis has sparked an unprecedented wave of recent protests. The Cuban Conflict Observatory recorded 253 protests in Cuba during June 2026, a record high. Repression has been the systematic response: Prisoners Defenders reported that there were 1,306 political prisoners at the end of June. In January 2026, a court sentenced six people to up to eight years in prison for protesting during a blackout in Encrucijada, Villa Clara.
Romero Negrín concluded his publication with a clarification that also serves as a declaration of principles: "This post does not incite anyone to commit crimes... on the contrary. It states clearly and fearlessly: DOWN WITH THE DICTATORSHIP and LONG LIVE THE ORGANIZED PEOPLE!" He added a nod to the date: "If you want, shout 'FREEDOM!'... and say whatever you like, just remember that tomorrow is the 26th," referring to July 26th, the day when the regime commemorates the start of the Revolution, and this year it coincides with a more organized citizenry that is less willing to remain silent.
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