As Cuba's economic crisis worsens, a video has surfaced showing people collecting ground meat from the street after a mishap at a Havana market. Influencer Alain Paparazzi shared the footage, blaming the incident on "the communist misery that forces you to think like a wild animal just trying to survive."
"It's better to fight for freedom than to live worse than dogs," he wrote on his X page. The video has sparked a wave of comments about the severe shortages plaguing the population and the dire economic situation in the country. "What disrespect, people scraping ground meat off the floor," an onlooker can be heard saying in the video.
Recurring Scenes of Desperation
Similar scenes have been reported in other parts of Cuba. A few months ago in Santiago de Cuba, dozens of people rushed to collect spilled vegetable oil from the street after a tanker accident in front of the "La Internacional" store at the "Artes y Oficios" roundabout.
Local reporter Yosmany Mayeta Labrada documented that "children, adults, and even motorcyclists came with containers to gather this scarce product," regardless of potential contamination.
Desperation Leads to Risky Behavior
Images of Cubans scavenging yogurt from dumpsters have gone viral, as well as a similar incident last year in San Miguel del Padrón, where people scrambled to collect flour spilled from a truck.
The Cuban Observatory for Human Rights has repeatedly denounced the rising levels of extreme poverty and begging on the island. It has become increasingly common to see individuals rummaging through trash for food or picking up fallen products without concern for their hygiene or quality.