Cuba Takes To Streets Over Vaccine, Food And Electricity Shortage

 

Its Cuba too up and arms against the government that has let it down. For the first time in 30 years, the Cuban population took to the streets and protested throughout the country, over shortage of food and electricity.

Protests broke out simultaneously in all parts of Cuba. Several hundred protesters marched through the capital Havana chanting, "We want liberty," with a heavy military and police presence deployed after demonstrators massed outside the Capitol building.

Protestors were beaten down with plastic pipes and tear gas was used to calm the crowds down, which was in thousands and hundreds flocking the streets. According to the data journalism site Inventario, the only ones authorized to gather in Cuba are normally Communist Party events. But these protests have been called rare as they gathered in 40 different spots across the nation. 

Several thousand protesters, mainly young people, took to the streets of San Antonio de los Banos, a town 30 kilometers (20 miles) southwest of Havana.

There are reasons for people to feel exasperated and angry as long food lines didn’t seem to disappear amidst the population of 11.2 million fighting for survival. Covid cases have been rising by the day, and vaccination has been short. The crowds protested over vaccine neglect and regular daily blackouts in open anti-government slogans.

In response, President Miguel Diaz-Canel, blamed the United States of instigating the outbreak on the streets of Cuba. As Canel just returned from San Antonio de los Banos, he felt that many protesters were sincere but manipulated by U.S.-orchestrated social media campaigns and “mercenaries” on the ground, and warned that further “provocations” would not be tolerated.