Cuba: Protesters torch Communist Party headquarters amid blackouts, shortages, and deepening crisis

A protest against the Cuban regime ended with the burning of a Communist Party headquarters in the central Cuban city of Moron, amid growing demonstrations by the blackouts, fuel shortages and deteriorating living conditions on the island.

Videos spread on social networks show dozens of demonstrators concentrated in front of the party building while a fire burns in the street. Shouts of "Freedom!" can be heard in the imagesand peopleare seen throwing objects at the provincial headquarters of the Cuban Communist Party.

"Cuba is in total collapse. After decades of repression and socialist disaster, the dictatorship is finally cracking under its own weight," said Cuban American representative Maria Elvira Salazar. "Across the island, Cubans are standing up and demanding what the regime has denied them for generations: FREEDOM."

The unrest comes at a particularly critical time for Cuba, where the energy crisis has left millions subjected to prolonged blackouts, lack of transportation and shortages of basic goods.

Two residents of Morón who spoke by telephone with the AFP on condition of anonymity assured that the mobilization was massive and reflected the level of desperation in the locality.

"There were a lot of people, people can't take it anymore," said one of the neighbors quoted by AFP. According to his testimony, in the municipality - of some 70,000 inhabitants - electricity barely arrives an hour and a half a day between blackouts.

The same resident stated that the crisis has also paralyzed local economic activity. "All the hotels are closed," he said, noting that tourism - the main source of employment in the area - has plummeted due to the lack of fuel and the drop in visitors.

Potential firing on protesters

Following the protests, Cuban authorities downplayed the events and denied that security forces had opened fire on demonstrators to repress, after a video with sounds of detonations went viral on social networks.

However, independent human rights organizations warned that the official version may not reflect what happened.

The NGOs Justicia11J and Cubalex, which document protests and arrests on the island since the historic demonstrations of July 11, 2021, noted that one person was injured during the unrest and that the injury could be compatible with a gunshot, although the exact origin of the wound has not yet been confirmed.

"According to information reviewed by our organization, during the protest detonations were heard in the vicinity of properties linked to the municipal headquarters of the Communist Party," denounced Justicia11J.

Authorities reported five arrests following the riots, while state media maintained that one participant fell to the ground and was injured.

Likewise, Cubalex denounced this Saturday that at least 20 people have been detained since March 6 for participating in protests. Some of those arrested were later released, but in many cases their current situation is unknown.