MADRID, Spain.- Social unrest in Cuba has risen to new heights according to the latest report from the Cuban Conflict Observatory (OCC) for the month of February 2024. In this period, a total of 661 spontaneous public protests were recorded in throughout the country, which represents an increase of 5.3% compared to the figures collected in January and an increase of 40.25% compared to the same month of the previous year, where 395 spontaneous protest demonstrations were recorded.
The report details that the demonstrations of discontent spread throughout the 15 provinces of the Island, with Havana leading the list as the most active territory, closely followed by Holguín, Matanzas, Guantánamo, Villa Clara, Camagüey, Santiago de Cuba and Pinar from the river.
Among the main causes that motivated the protests were complaints of repressive acts, which for the second consecutive time led all categories of the monthly report. The protests over the food crisis, exacerbated by the inconsistency in the delivery of basic basket quotas, “ended the month virtually tied with those derived from the growing wave of social violence in the country.”
Examples such as the case of Aniette González, sentenced to three years in prison for publishing photos with the Cuban flag, or that of Duniel Boladeres, accused of contempt for demonstrating on social networks, illustrate the situation of repression in the country.
In the economic sphere, despite the stopping of a “Paquetazo” of price increases and the dismissal of two ministers, difficulties persist in food, inflation and agriculture. The price of the dollar at 310 Cuban pesos has drastically reduced the purchasing power of the population, while problems in the supply of food and basic services such as water and electricity have generated general unrest.
Citizen insecurity has also contributed to the increase in protests, with alarming numbers of femicides, homicides, disappearances and robberies. The Cuban population, increasingly desperate, has resorted to various forms of expression of unrest, including demonstrations over the lack of public services, public health problems and other social incidents such as suicides and alcoholism.
Amid the increase in repression, there were protests in front of police stations, calls for a national strike and online resistance actions. The situation has led some observers, such as comedian Ulises Toirac, to point out that Cuba is not simply facing resistance, but rather a “savage survival,” characterized by a growing gap between a small layer of beneficiaries and a vast majority mired in poverty.
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2024-03-02 09:53:13
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