In the early hours of Tuesday, residents of the San Leopoldo neighborhood in Central Havana raised their voices in protest, shouting "Without..." in response to a power outage that had lasted over 70 hours. Amidst an almost complete darkness, occasionally broken only by the pale silhouette of a dog crossing the street, the cries of discontent echoed from the homes. Brief snippets of chants like "Down with..." and mentions of Díaz-Canel mixed with other unclear demands filled the air. The individual who shared the footage on social media noted that a police patrol car passed by but did not intervene, continuing in the opposite direction.
The unrest in San Leopoldo adds to a mounting wave of dissatisfaction in Havana, where prolonged power outages have sparked disturbances and demands across various districts. On October 20, 2024, the streets of Santiago de Cuba were flooded with demonstrators following a widespread blackout that left the city without electricity for more than 48 hours. Frustrated citizens took to the streets, banging pots and pans, demanding "power and food." The heavy presence of police and State Security agents was evident as they attempted to quell the protests that persisted throughout the day.
That same day, similar scenes unfolded in Havana, as neighborhoods erupted in pot-banging protests after two days without electricity. The desperation among Havana's residents was palpable in areas like Nuevo Vedado and Old Havana, where the clatter of pots resonated as a form of protest. The collective pressure from residents led to the restoration of power in some areas, though the underlying discontent remains.
On October 21, the crisis extended to Manicaragua in Villa Clara, where locals gathered in front of the municipal government building. Protesters, some barefoot and wielding pots, demanded answers to the crisis affecting their communities, particularly in the face of ongoing power cuts. Once again, police repression was prominent, as authorities attempted to suppress the demands for urgent solutions.