Guanabacoa Residents Prevent Removal of Transformers
A new wave of protests and pot-banging demonstrations spread Wednesday through several neighborhoods in Havana and Santiago de Cuba, following blackouts that, in some electrical circuits, had exceeded 30 hours.
One of the most significant incidents occurred in La Gallega, in the Havana municipality of Guanabacoa, where residents prevented workers from the Electric Company from removing the neighborhood’s transformers. Journalist Jose Raul Gallego shared images of the protest, noting that residents blocked the operation to avoid losing the equipment that supplies electricity to their community.
Journalist Mario Vallejo also reported that dozens of people gathered in La Loma de los Zapotes, along Calzada de Güines in San Miguel del Padrón, although, as of this writing, the presence of security forces had not been confirmed.
Columns of Smoke “Everywhere” Over the Capital
Reports continued to multiply throughout the day. Musician and activist Saul Manuel posted updates from residents in the streets of Palatino (Cerro), El Fanguito (Plaza), Lawton, La Güinera, and Santos Suarez (Diez de Octubre), and said that residents of El Fanguito had blocked 23rd Street in Vedado. Witnesses also informed him of drones flying over Guanajay, in Artemisa Province.
Later, he said that from several elevated points around the capital, numerous columns of smoke could be seen “everywhere,” describing the scene as both striking and deeply saddening. Although he did not specify the source of the smoke, previous protests have involved the burning of garbage and tires to block streets.
Comments from residents on these posts reflected the widespread nature of the power outages. People reported more than 30 hours without electricity in Lawton, Juanelo, and Vedado, while one resident of La Lisa said their electrical circuit had gone 74 consecutive hours without service. A resident of Arroyo Naranjo claimed that electricity was restored only after the neighborhood took to the streets.
Outside the capital, Yosmany Mayeta Labrada reported that residents of the Sueño neighborhood in Santiago de Cuba once again took to the streets that night for another cacerolazo (pot-banging protest), a form of demonstration that has been recurring in the city for weeks.
Pot-Banging Protest Under Police Surveillance in Old Havana
A loud cacerolazo echoed through several streets of Old Havana on Monday night during another prolonged blackout.
In a video sent to independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada and published by Cubanet, numerous residents can be heard banging pots and pans from inside their homes while the streets and buildings remain completely dark. The outlet itself verified the protest and released another recording capturing the clanging of cookware along with expressions of public discontent.
According to information received by Cubanet, police officers and individuals described by residents as members of paramilitary groups were stationed near the municipal headquarters of the Cuban Communist Party and the Dragones Street police station.
This article was translated into English from the original in Spanish.
