A new day of popular protests shook Cuba on Tuesday night, with demonstrations recorded in Marianao, La Liza, El Cerro, San José de Mayabeque, and Santiago de Cuba, as well as various neighborhoods in Havana.
Protests took place against the backdrop of blackouts that have left the island in darkness. At the intersection of Egido and Gloria, in Old Havana, residents participated in a clanging of pots and pans with shouts of "Freedom!" which resulted in a significant police presence and arrests.
According to images circulated by CubaNet Noticias, during the arrests, the public confronted the agents shouting "Abusers!".
The opposition figure and exiled political prisoner José Batista Falcón shared videos from Marianao and Old Havana with a direct message: "Havana, Marianao, stand up against the government. Don’t put up with it any longer, the street is the only solution."
In one of the videos recorded in Old Havana, a voice identifies the location: "This is here in Old Havana. Underground," they say, referring to the underground circuit that has historically been protected by the government and typically experiences fewer power outages than other areas of the city.
From exile, the opposition figure and former political prisoner José Daniel Ferrer, leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba, documented the demonstrations and warned about the repressive strategy of the regime. "The repressive forces arrive immediately to film, to observe, to identify the main leaders of the protests, those who stand out the most, so they can later arrest, imprison, or target them," he said.
Ferrer emphasized that repression does not deter the protesters. "The people are not intimidated. The people are willing to continue risking and sacrificing to achieve freedom, to put an end to oppression and misery, to blackouts, and to hunger."
On August 2nd, a new total disconnection of the National Electroenergetic System occurred, followed by another collapse during the reconnection. Cuba thus has experienced seven total blackouts so far in 2026.
Ferrer concluded his message with a slogan that encapsulates the spirit of those who take to the streets despite the risks: "We must continue fighting against tyranny on all fronts, from Pinar del Río to Guantánamo, from Maisí to San Antonio."
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