The residents of Guanabacoa in Havana staged a loud protest on Friday night, banging pots and pans and shouting as they took to the streets against the government's attempts to suppress their demonstration. The protest unfolded in the Minas-Barreras area of Guanabacoa, as reported by independent journalist José Raúl Gallego, who shared footage of the event on social media.
"This video shows a protest that just took place in the Barreras neighborhood of Guanabacoa. According to a local source, a significant number of people gathered in the park to protest the prolonged power outages," Gallego shared in his post.
The footage revealed a procession of residents voicing their frustrations as they marched past the Barrera church, known for its devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows. The neighborhood delegate attempted to quell the demonstration but, failing to do so, called the police. "The police chief who arrived told the demonstrators it was 'unconstitutional' to protest outside their homes," the Cuban activist and independent journalist noted.
According to his account, the local police chief resorted to violence against the protesters. It remains unclear whether he is the leading figure at the 14th station of the National Revolutionary Police (PNR) in Guanabacoa, directly under Colonel Tania Hernández Cordero, head of the PNR in Havana, and Colonel Eddy Manuel Sierra Arias, head of the PNR's General Directorate.
The Energy Crisis Deepens
The ongoing blackouts, intensified by the recent total collapse of the national electrical grid (SEN), have heightened public discontent amidst the worsening energy crisis. On Friday night, residents of Nuevo Vedado in Havana also staged a boisterous protest, clanging pots and shouting from their homes in response to nearly 60 hours without power.
"Cacerolazo in Nuevo Vedado, Havana, where the 14ymedio newsroom is located, after almost 60 hours without electricity," reported journalist and director Yoani Sánchez on social media, accompanied by a video capturing the sound of protests.
Widespread Discontent and Unrest
Despite a recent announcement of partial restoration of the SEN following Hurricane Rafael, authorities admitted that repairs would be slow due to extensive damage to transmission lines and essential substations. The uncertainty and hardships caused by the blackouts have prompted Habaneros to bang their pots in protest, a form of demonstration that is spreading across a nation where the regime suppresses dissent and punishes those who dare to demand their rights and freedoms.
Protests in Cuba over power outages are not unprecedented, but the current situation lends them a new urgency. The island's living conditions have deteriorated significantly in recent years due to economic woes, with shortages of basic goods and relentless inflation.
The protests in Guanabacoa and Nuevo Vedado this Friday echo the spontaneous uprisings that have erupted in other parts of the island, driven by fatigue and frustration as people are pushed to take to the streets.