With blocked streets, branches on the ground, garbage and debris tanks, and the touch of saucepans, Havanans took to the streets this Friday for the second consecutive day demanding an end to a blackout that has caused the little food they have for their children to spoil. There were demonstrations in more than a dozen places; The protests were followed, for the second day in a row, by a massive Internet shutdown in the country to prevent expansion or organization, as occurred on July 11 (11-J) last year.
Several municipalities in Havana have already had five days without electricity, for which many shouted “turn on the power” and even “freedom.”
«They have not just given us a solution and we have been without electricity for five days. The food of the whole world has been spoiled, the children here are eating what is in the newspaper, what we can find for them,” said one of the women who guarded a barricade in the Popular Latino Council in Havana.
Though there was no police repression in most of them, all were surrounded by police patrols and State Security officers.
The Plaza de la Revolución, where the Council of State and Ministers are located, had a police cordon several kilometers around. It was also strongly guarded the International Airport of Havana «José Martí». In this area, in the Boyeros municipality, residents told ABC that there were clashes with the police.
“We do not want violence, if we are blocking the street it is to draw attention, as a protest, because we can no longer take it, we have been without power for five days”
“We do not want violence, if we are blocking the street it is to attract attention, as a protest, because we can no longer take it, we have been without power for five days,” said one of the protesters – who requested anonymity to avoid reprisals from the regime. while carrying debris to block traffic.
no food or water
A few meters away, a woman, with her two children in the car, reported that they are not only without power but also without water and without food, because they have spoiled.
In the face of massive protests and the militarization of the city, Etecsa, Cuba’s telecommunications monopoly, cut off internet access throughout the country for the second consecutive night. This was confirmed shortly after 8 at night by the platform netblocks, an internet observatory: «Confirmed: Network data in real time shows internet cut in Cuba for the second consecutive night; metrics show a collapse in connectivity after 8 pm local time amid protests over poor conditions and power outages aggravated by Hurricane Ian #CubaPaLaCalle.”
⚠️ Confirmed: Real-time network data show internet has been cut in #Cuba for the second evening in a row; metrics show a collapse in connectivity after 8 pm local time amid protests over poor conditions and power cuts worsened by Hurricane Ian 📉 #CubaPaLaCalle pic.twitter.com/YDJ6ZsTjwX
— NetBlocks (@netblocks) October 1, 2022
At the close of this information, no arrests were recorded and in some places the electrical service had been restored, but the militarization continues. Protests were reported in some parts of the city but small, Cubans wait for the night to demonstrate, it is the way to protect their identity and avoid prison sentences.
www.abc.es
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism