Mike Fisher, a Canadian content creator who for years has promoted Cuba on his social media as a safe, affordable, and enjoyable tourist destination, was the victim of a robbery on La Rampa in Havana: a criminal snatched a gold chain from his neck, as he reported himself on Facebook.
"They just brought me the chain, my neck is red," she said, showing the marks of the assault on her neck.
"In Havana, in broad daylight," he added, pointing to the central street 23, where everything happened, before issuing a warning to the thief: "I will find you."
The incident is striking due to the contrast between the narrative that Fisher has constructed online and the very different reality that thousands of Cubans report on a daily basis.
On his channel "Finding Fish," active on Facebook and YouTube, the Canadian—who has been traveling to the island since 1985—often showcases white sand beaches, abundant buffets, cigars, rum, and low prices, portraying Cuba as an accessible paradise for the Western tourist.
That idyllic image had already begun to crack months earlier. In June, Fisher celebrated on social media a full lunch with mojito at the Dos Mares hotel in Varadero for 3,100 Cuban pesos -about 7.75 Canadian dollars-, without mentioning that this amount is nearly equivalent to the entire minimum monthly salary of a Cuban, set at 3,210 pesos.
Then came the national blackout on July 6, which Fisher experienced in Havana. Upon leaving the country, the Canadian refined his speech for the first time: "Cuba is not doing well. Havana is suffering a lot, facing daily issues with electricity and water."
Still, he closed that episode with the phrase: "I just landed... and I already miss Cuba."
The open question is whether Fisher will continue to promote the image of a Cuba where "nothing is happening," after experiencing firsthand what thousands of Cubans denounce every day.
The assault on the tourist occurs amid an unprecedented rise in criminal activity in Cuba. The Cuban Observatory of Citizen Auditing recorded 2,833 verified crimes in 2025, marking a 115% increase compared to 2024, with theft being the most common category.
The area where the assault on Fisher occurred is not unfamiliar with this phenomenon. In Vedado, multiple robberies have been reported in 2026: in June, there were over 30 home assaults in a single week in that area, and that same month, a woman was attacked with a knife to steal her cell phone on the same Rampa.
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