“Down with the dictatorship!”: Thousands of Cubans took to the streets to protest the regime in the midst of the dangerous health situation

Thousands of Cubans took to the streets on Sunday to protest Castro’s dictatorship in the city of San Antonio de los Baños (Artemisa, West) chanting Down with the dictatorship, freedom, the homeland and life.

The unprecedented demonstration, which people continue to join, was broadcast live by Facebook users and It takes place in the midst of a serious economic and health crisis in the Caribbean nationThere are alarming shortages of food, medicine and other essential products.

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The broadcast lasted about 50 minutes and was suddenly interrupted. In the photos, a number of protesters can be heard saying that people are “tired,” while a number of regime security personnel watch the protest.

Portal reported 14ymedia That authorities cut off the Internet in San Antonio de los Baños, to prevent protesters from continuing to broadcast what happened. “Nothing can be accessed, but people figured it out very quickly and they are now trying to get to the place of the protest,” explained a resident at this outlet.

Here we have suffered a lot, not only from confinement but also from blackouts, practically every day they remove the electricity. The police put real harassment on the sellers and there is practically no way to make a living. “It was a long time ago,” added Carmen, a retired downtown San Antonio resident.

“People started screaming, there are horrific blackouts, six hours, it doesn’t stop, and every day. They started walking peacefully, all they did was scream. There were a lot of young people there,” he told the agency by phone. EFE A local neighbor was inside a store at the time of the events.

Videos from other places began to spread on social media, such as the town of Sharqiya Palma Soriano (Santiago de Cuba)Where hundreds also rallied in the streets and slogans such as “No more lies” and “We are not afraid.”

Social media users pointed out that the security forces أن They proceeded to intervene near the perimeter of the demonstration in Palma Soriano, which led to some clashes with the protesters.

human rights activist Rosa Maria Baia denounced it there The regime deployed its forces and suppressed the demonstrators. Before, I had sent a direct message in their social networks To Raul Castro and Miguel Diaz-Canel: “Don’t you dare oppress. The whole world is watching.”

Actress and former political prisoner, Luis Otero AlcantaraFor his part, he announced his joining the protests and called on all Cubans to take to the streets: “All Cuba is on the right track, all national and international organizations are calling on the street. I’m going to the boardwalk, whatever the cost.”

US Senator Marco RubioHe is a fierce critic of dictatorships such as Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua in their social networks: “Spontaneous street protests erupted in many Cuban cities at this time with chants of #NoTenemosMiedo (…) Frustration at the incompetence, greed and oppression of the dictatorship is rapidly increasing.”

In the United States, Cuban residents also mobilized in South Florida to support the protests taking place on the island. According to local media, Venezuelans and Nicaragua have joined the protest. The demonstrators chanted “Freedom”, “Homeland and Life” and “Free Cuba” while carrying Cuban flags.

This is the largest anti-government protest ever recorded on the island since the so-called “maleconazo”, when in August 1994, in the middle of the “special period”, hundreds of people took to the streets of Havana and did so. Don’t leave until you arrive.. then Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

Although there have been ongoing demonstrations recently against the regime, the trend in recent days has been increasing at a time when the island is going through its worst moment since the start of the pandemic. Matanzas Province (East Havana), for example, was on the verge of health collapse due to the uncontrolled increase in coronavirus cases, with the number of cases of the virus reaching more than 1,300 per 100,000 inhabitants, a situation exacerbated by the lack of medicine, food and food. Hygiene Products.

Health professionals, for their part, deplore the neglect of the system and the precarious conditions of the health system. “The situation is getting worse as the days go by.”And the he said to Infobae Neurosurgeon Alexandre BoboOne of the most prominent critics of the island’s healthcare system. “In Cuba, COVID-19 is really affecting along with other epidemics, like scabies, famine, and it’s criminal”, he claims.

Faced with this situation, dissidents and international stars demand the Cuban regimeنظام that allow the entry of humanitarian aid.

Daddy Yankee, Residente and Kany García joined forces this Saturday in other Puerto Rican artists calling for a humanitarian corridor to send aid to Cuba., while the system Refuses to accept international aid.

daddy yankee, The self-proclaimed “leader” of the reggaeton, Garcia, one of the island’s leading and internationally known singer-songwriters, Tweet the hashtag #SOSCuba to raise money, medical supplies, food and other supplies And send them to the affected places.

poster #SOSCuba It’s already a trend on Twitter, which has been Used in more than 300,000 messages, and #SOSMatanzas are around 146,000, according to microblogging network data.

“Some refer in a deliberate and manipulative way to the need to implement humanitarian corridors, humanitarian intervention (…) these are concepts and terminology related to situations of armed conflict, serious violations of international humanitarian law, which you are bound to see for no reason and in any way,” the State Department said Cuban response to the campaign calling for a humanitarian corridor “what is happening today in our country.”

Cubans took advantage of the occasion to criticize the government for food shortages, precarious conditions in hospitals, and a crisis exacerbated by the pandemic.

With information from EFE and 14ymedio

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