Residents of the El Fanguito neighborhood in the Havana municipality of Plaza de la Revolución took to the streets again on Saturday night in a protest reported on social media, in an area that was under a heavy deployment of police forces.
The nighttime images shared on the Facebook profile of CubaNet showed residents of the neighborhood on the streets, along with numerous officers in olive green uniforms, identified as members of the National Revolutionary Police (PNR), as well as an official vehicle with blue lights.
In an update on the event, the media outlet specified that around 50 people participated in the civic action, mostly women, residents of 23rd and 30th Streets, in El Vedado.
According to a post from the profile of Facebook Guapo Y Fajao, the prolonged blackouts in recent days could be among the reasons for the protest, amid the energy crisis affecting Cuban households.
"Cuba needs deep changes. When there is a lack of electricity, food, and the basic conditions for living, discontent inevitably spills into the streets," stated the publication.
The mobilization would be the second recorded in El Fanguito in a month, according to reports circulated on social media. This new episode occurs while blackouts continue to be a major source of discontent among the population.
It is not the first time that El Fanguito has erupted. On the night of July 29, residents of the same neighborhood blocked Avenida 23, one of the main arteries of Havana, after going more than 48 hours without electricity, water, or gas.
That protest ended with the immediate restoration of electric service by a Union Electric lineman, which activists interpreted as a tactical maneuver to demobilize the demonstration. The regime lit up the neighborhood without addressing any of the underlying issues.
The repressive response came the next day, when State Security arrested two mothers connected to the protest, including María Yilian Franco Díaz, who was taken to the police unit at Zapata and C along with her four-year-old son.
Additionally, a State Security agent was recorded on video while threatening neighbors with identifying and detaining those who posted images on social media.
"I am from Security. I know who uploaded the photo, even if it was sent to a relative abroad and the relative uploaded it. I will track down the link, whatever it takes, the IP address, whatever I have," the oppressor threatened.
El Fanguito, located alongside the Almendares River in the Plaza de la Revolución municipality, is one of the most precarious settlements in Havana, suffering from decades of institutional neglect.
According to the magazine El Estornudo, in 2016 nearly 200 of their homes were not listed in the census and only one was legalized.
The protests in Cuba are not limited to this neighborhood. On August 23, in the evening, residents of Jaimanitas, in the Playa municipality, blocked Fifth Avenue due to prolonged power outages. A day earlier, residents of Old Havana closed a street for the same reason.
The Cuban Observatory of Conflicts recorded 1,415 protests in July, the largest historical monthly record, with at least 72 in-person demonstrations across the country.
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