Cacerolazos, fires and shouts of ‘Freedom!’ They marked the protest that began on Monte Street, in the middle of the collapse of basic services.
Madrid, Spain.- One massive protest It broke out on Thursday night in Centro Habana, where neighbors of several blocks, including women and children, blocked Monte Street to demand the restitution of basic services after prolonged blackouts and a growing crisis of drinking water supply.
The protesters spontaneously came out to public roads with pans, protest slogans and even a fire in the street, such as evidenced videos spread on social networks. Among the most heard cries stands out that of “Libertad!”, Which resonated along with the demands of electricity and water. At some points, complete families – including minors – sat on the asphalt in peaceful resistance.
Women and children on the front line
In the neighborhood of the sites, in Centro Habana, a group of women accompanied by children closed one of the main streets. Activist Lara Crofs shared images on social networks and said addressing the ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel: “They are Chamas, Joneee Chamas, they will not think of sticking that I know them. Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez you are directly responsible if something happens to some of those children.”
The presence of minors turns the protest into a symbol of vulnerability that thousands of Cuban families are going through, trapped between the shortage of services and the lack of official solutions.
Protests in other neighborhoods and police response
Shortly after the protests, police forces occupied Monte Street, as shown by images captured by Cubanet. The agents deployed a fence to contain the protesters, while neighbors filmed with their mobile phones.
Shared images on social networks suggest that manifestations were not limited to Centro Habana. Lawton neighbors denounced on Facebook despair after more than 15 days without water, and actions were reported where residents would have blocked streets amid new blackouts; as in Altahabana.
Although the magnitude of these protests has not yet been fully verified, different sources agree that citizen outrage has spread to several points in the capital.
A city paralyzed by the cuts
According to data from the Havana Electric Company itself, the capital suffered in recent days an affectation of up to 296 megawatts, which forced to declare in “emergency” several blocks of circuits that remained without electricity for more than 24 consecutive hours.
The lack of light adds to the serious problems in the water supply. The state company Aguas de la Habana acknowledged breaks in the driver of the South Basin, which has left numerous neighborhoods of the city with interruptions of more than a week. In some central areas, neighbors denounce more than two months without receiving running water, being forced to pay the private pipes.
The scenes of this Thursday in Centro Habana rekindle the memory of other days of protest on the island, such as those of the July 11, 2021, and confirm that social discontent continues to grow in the midst of the structural collapse of public services.
