Several buildings in the Peñas Altas neighborhood, in Guanabo, in the municipality of Habana del Este, were found this Monday morning covered in graffiti against Miguel Díaz-Canel, just hours after a local protest regarding the prolonged blackouts affecting the community.
The graffiti, done with blue spray paint, included messages such as "DOWN WITH CANEL" and "CANEL SINGAO / CANEL 26," visible on the facades of at least three buildings, according to images sent to the editorial team of CiberCuba.
The graffiti appeared following a spontaneous demonstration led by local residents who, fed up with power outages, took to the streets to demand the restoration of service.
Clanging pots, bonfires, and burning trash
According to testimonies from residents, the protest took place on Sunday after several consecutive hours without electricity.
The protesters sounded cauldrons and set piles of trash on fire in various parts of the neighborhood as a way to express their dissatisfaction with the energy crisis, the information sent to CiberCuba added.
According to the residents themselves, shortly after the protest began, the electricity service was restored, and since then, the supply has been maintained normally.
However, at dawn the next day, slogans against the Cuban ruler appeared on several buildings in the neighborhood.
A neighborhood with a history of protests
This is not the first time that Peñas Altas has been the focus of protests due to the lack of basic services.
On June 22, neighbors in the neighborhood gathered in front of the headquarters of the People's Power to demand potable water, electricity, and food. The following day, a resident reported that the community was still without water or electricity.
Protests against power outages have multiplied in Cuba over the past few weeks. In July alone, reports of pot-banging and other demonstrations were made in Alamar, Guanabacoa, Jaimanitas, Central Havana, Arroyo Arenas, and subsequently in other neighborhoods of Havana and Santiago de Cuba.
The electrical crisis behind the discontent
The growing citizen discontent coincides with the .
In July, the electrical grid experienced three national collapses on the 6th, 10th, and 14th, leaving virtually the entire country without service each time.
For July 26, the power generation capability was barely 900 MW, against an estimated demand of 3,200 MW, resulting in a deficit that necessitated extensive blackouts. In some areas of Havana, power cuts exceeded 35 consecutive hours, while official forecasts indicated that up to 65% of the national territory would be affected during peak consumption hours.
A message that has been repeated since 11J
The graffiti bearing the slogan "Down with Canel" is not a new phenomenon. Since the popular uprising on July 11, 2021, similar messages have repeatedly appeared in various locations across the country as an expression of discontent with the government.
Only this year graffiti of this type has been reported in Bayamo, Santos Suárez, and Santiago de Cuba, while in May 2025, a stadium in Manzanillo was found in the morning with the phrases "Homeland and Life" and "Down with Canel" written on its walls.
The increase in these expressions coincides with a rise in social protests. The organization Cubalex documented 253 demonstrations in Cuba during June 2026 and recorded 319 repressive incidents, including 52 arbitrary detentions and at least 95 victims. In July, the organization also alerted about the detention of several individuals following a protest that took place in Loma del Chivo, in Guantánamo.
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