In a rare display of public dissent, protesters in the central Cuban city of Moron ransacked a Communist Party office following rallies against severe food shortages and persistent power outages. The Cuban Interior Ministry (Minint) confirmed five arrests after a small group vandalized the building overnight into Saturday, starting fires with furniture from the reception area.
The demonstrations occur amid mounting economic pressures exacerbated by a prolonged US oil blockade. President Miguel Díaz-Canel revealed in a national broadcast that no fuel has entered the country for three months due to these sanctions. The energy crisis has crippled essential services including hospital operations, public transportation, and education systems.
While initial reports from state-run newspaper Invasor indicated the protest began peacefully, it escalated into acts of vandalism targeting multiple government facilities. Social media footage circulated showing protesters hurling rocks through windows while shouting “liberty” as fires burned in the streets.
The unrest coincides with confirmed diplomatic talks between Havana and Washington to address longstanding differences. However, the situation remains tense as the Trump administration continues its pressure campaign, having previously threatened a “friendly takeover” and blocked Venezuelan oil shipments that once supplied half of Cuba’s energy needs.
Cuban authorities have deployed specialized forces to investigate what they term “acts of vandalism,” highlighting the unusual nature of such public dissent in a country where protest rights, while constitutionally granted since 2019, remain undefined in practice.