Residents of the El Fanguito neighborhood, in the Havana municipality of Plaza de la Revolución, took to the streets again to protest this Saturday night, in an area that was under a heavy police presence.
The night images released by the independent media CubaNet showed residents of the neighborhood in the streets and numerous agents in olive green uniforms, identified as members of the National Revolutionary Police (PNR), along with a patrol car.
In an update about the event, the media outlet specified that approximately 50 people participated in the civic action, mostly women, residents of 23rd and 30th Streets in El Vedado.
According to a post from the Facebook profile Guapo Y Fajao, the prolonged blackouts in recent days are among the reasons for the protests, amidst the energy crisis affecting Cuban households.
"Cuba needs deep changes. When there is a lack of electricity, food, and the minimum conditions for living, discontent inevitably makes its way to 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 one of the main sources of discontent among the population.
On the night of July 29, residents of the neighborhood blocked 23rd Street, one of the main arteries of Havana, after being without electricity, water, or gas for more than 48 hours.
That protest ended with the immediate restoration of electrical service by a lineman from the Unión Eléctrica, 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 detained two mothers linked 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, an agent of the State Security was recorded on video while threatening neighbors with identifying and arresting those who posted images on social media.
"I am from Security. I know who is the one uploading the photo, even if it is sent to a relative abroad and that relative uploads it. I can trace it back, with whatever I have, the IP address, with whatever I have," the repressor threatened.
El Fanguito, located alongside the Almendares River in the Plaza de la Revolución municipality, is one of the most precarious settlements in Havana, having suffered decades of institutional neglect.
According to the magazine El Estornudo, in 2016 almost 200 of their homes were not listed in the census and only one was legalized.
Protests in Cuba are not limited to this neighborhood. On the night of August 23, residents of Jaimanitas, in the Playa municipality, blocked Fifth Avenue due to prolonged blackouts. The day before, residents of Old Havana closed a street for the same reason.
The Cuban Conflict Observatory recorded 1,415 protests in July, the highest monthly record in history, with at least 72 in-person demonstrations across the country.
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