Hundreds of Cubans protested this Friday night in the Martí park, in Cienfuegos, in front of the provincial government headquarters, demanding the cessation of the blackouts that extend for more than 10 and 14 hours in the interior of the island.
The Cienfuegos walked to the central square shouting slogans such as “Turn on the power!”, while some women commented: “Twelve hours without power, girl, oh my mother!”, as was heard in some videos shared on social networks. As can be seen in these materials, the Cubans walked through the darkness due to the blackout, towards the government headquarters, which at one point looked dark, but later it was the only place that had the privilege of being illuminated.
Residents reported that the police arrived at Parque Martí to prevent more people from joining the protest and then restored power to the city to dissuade them.
The protests spread through the neighborhoods of Cienfuegos, including Pueblo Griffo, where neighbors banged saucepans due to the lack of electricity. The demands occurred at the same time as a fire consumed the Supertanker Base in Matanzaswhich already leaves more than 60 injured, after lightning struck the place.
Popular claims have spread and aggravated in the last month due to the long daily blackouts and add to the severe economic crisis suffered by the Island
The popular claims have spread and worsened in the last month due to the long daily blackouts and are added to the severe economic crisis that the Island is suffering.
The protests not only occur at night but have moved into broad daylight like the one that occurred on August 1 in the Luis Dagnes district, from the Popular Council of Altamira, in Santiago de Cuba.
“What they have with us is an abuse. The whole morning without light and the current went out again at 11 in the morning,” he explained that day to 14ymedio the activist Aurora Sancho.
In municipalities such as Jagüey Grande, in Matanzas, there have been up to two demonstrations of this type in less than a month. Other places like Bauta, in Artemisa, Covadonga, in Cienfuegos and Nuevitas, in Camagüey, have also been the scene of hundreds of neighbors who have taken to the streets to stage a cacerolazo with anti-government slogans and demanding freedom.
The state company Unión Eléctrica Nacional foresees a deficit of 784 megawatts for this Saturday and that it will increase to 854 megawatts during peak hours. At the moment, three units of the Mariel Thermoelectric Power Plant, two units of Nuevitas and Felton, and one, respectively, of the Santa Cruz, Parellada and Cienfuegos plants, are out of service.
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