Protests in Havana flare up for second evening as blackouts persist By Reuters

By Dave Sherwood and Alexandre Meneghini

HAVANA (Reuters) – Cubans protested within the streets of Havana for a second evening late on Friday over continued blackouts throughout a number of neighborhoods, in a few of the largest single rallies within the metropolis since widespread anti-government demonstrations final July.

At the least one of many protests within the western neighborhood of Playa swelled in dimension to a number of hundred individuals who chanted “activate the lights,” in addition to anti-government slogans disparaging President Miguel Diaz-Canel.

At one level, the group started to chant for freedom, or “libertad,” in Spanish, as protesters walked by means of a darkish, densely populated neighborhood that has been with out electrical energy since Hurricane Ian slammed into the island on Tuesday.

Studies on social media additionally confirmed smaller protests elsewhere in Havana on Friday night. Protests, which remained peaceable, appeared confined to these locations the place energy had not but been restored.

Ian knocked out energy to all the nation of 11 million when it plowed by means of western Cuba earlier this week. By mid-day Friday, officers stated electrical energy had been restored to greater than 60% of shoppers in Havana, a metropolis of greater than 2 million, however these nonetheless at the hours of darkness had grown more and more anxious.

“It´s like being in hell,” stated Carlos Felipe Garcia, who marched shirtless and coated in sweat. “That´s why we´re out on the road, and we´ll preserve popping out.”

Officers stated on Friday they hoped to have the lights again on throughout most of Havana by the tip of the weekend.

Because the protest in Playa gained steam, it was met by a number of truckloads of safety forces in black berets, who blockaded the principle boulevard, stopping these marching from advancing, in accordance with a Reuters witness.

Later an equally massive group of lots of of presidency supporters chanting “I’m Fidel” – a reference to the late former chief Fidel Castro – adopted behind the protesters on an adjoining avenue. The boys, many carrying denims and t-shirts, had been armed with sticks, baseball bats and scrapwood.

No clashes or arrests had been noticed.

Avenue protests in communist-run Cuba are very uncommon. On July 11, 2021, anti-government rallies rocked the island, the biggest such demonstrations since Castro’s 1959 revolution.

INTERNET FAILS

Web communications in Havana appeared to break down once more for the second evening on Friday as protests flared, making cellular calls and messaging unimaginable till round 4 a.m. on Saturday.

Web watchdogs stated the day past it was probably the communications blackout was supposed to stifle protests. The Cuban authorities didn’t reply to a request for touch upon scenario.

Because the protesters marched in Playa, the electrical energy instantly got here again on in some housing and residence blocks.

“When individuals protest, sure, they placed on the lights,” stated Havana resident Andres Mora, pointing to a lately lit metropolis block. “However our youngsters´s meals has already rotted they usually do not have something to eat.”

The extended blackouts in Cuba are significantly upsetting for a lot of residents as a result of acquiring primary items – together with meals, gasoline and medication – typically means hours ready in line below the recent Caribbean solar.

Exterior Havana, huge swaths of the island had been nonetheless at the hours of darkness as work crews continued to restore electrical poles and contours and take away timber from roadways.