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Explainer | Causes of the protests in Cuba
- Last weekend saw the first mass anti-government protests in decades
- Cuba’s president has blamed the United States for the unrest
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The street protests that erupted over the weekend in Cuba were the biggest at least since those a quarter century ago, when then-President Fidel Castro personally went into the streets to calm crowds of thousands furious over dire shortages that gripped the island following the collapse of the Soviet Union, which had long backed its socialist ally.
What are the protesters demanding?
Many expressed anger over long lines and shortages of food and medicines, as well as repeated electricity outages. Some demanded a faster pace of vaccination against Covid-19. But there were also calls for political change in a country governed by the Communist Party for some six decades. Some demonstrators chanted “Liberty!” “Down with the dictatorship!” and “Fatherland and life!” – a twist on the revolutionary slogan, “Fatherland or death!”
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“It’s time for things to change. The situation is critical,” said Cristian Veliz, a 22-year-old construction worker.
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Cuba sees largest anti-government protests in decades over coronavirus pandemic and economic woes
Cuba sees largest anti-government protests in decades over coronavirus pandemic and economic woes
What set off the protests?
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