Best wishes to the people of Cuba-

[MPS]

Praying for the Cuban people this morning.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[helix]

If the police and military fracture this could be a thing. Liken to when Fidel rolled into Havana unopposed. 

[Nino]

A good summary of the situation :

Mass protests spread from provincial towns to Havana

• byJohannes Werner
• July 12, 2021
• https://www.cubastandard.com/mass-protests-spread-from-provincial-towns-to-havana/

 

 

 

 

CUBA STANDARD — A wave of protests mobilizing thousands of Cubans spread from provincial cities to Havana July 11, prompting President Miguel Díaz-Canel to walk the streets of San Antonio de los Baños, where the protests started, and declare an “order to combat” and that “the streets belongs to the revolutionaries”.

Díaz-Canel, walking the streets in San Antonio de los Baños

Protesters expressed anxiety over shortages, rising prices and blackouts, exploding COVID-19 contagion and slow mass vaccination, chanting “Libertad” and “Patria y Vida”, referring to a song that was recently produced in Miami by several Cuban artists. In Havana, protests and counterprotests began around the Capitolio Sunday afternoon, and thousands of anti-government protesters eventually walked down the Prado boulevard towards the seaside Malecón.

Police and special forces responded to the demonstrations in part with batons, pepper spray and arrests, blocking the way of marchers on Prado boulevard. Díaz-Canel called on supporters to take to the streets, which thousands did in the capital. Around the Capitolio, protesters confronted each other, chanting “Díaz-Canel step down” and “Fidel”. Due to the pandemic, there are nightly curfews practically in the entire island.

In a televised speech Sunday afternoon, Diaz-Canel recognized that many protesters were sincere, but added that the United States “wants to create an incident to justify intervention”, and that more “provocations” would not be tolerated.

“We are calling on all the revolutionaries in the country, all the Communists, to hit the streets wherever there is an effort to produce these provocations,” Diaz-Canel said.

“We are deeply concerned by ‘calls to combat’ in #Cuba,” tweeted acting Assistant Secretary of Western Hemispheric Affairs Julie Chung. “We stand by the Cuban people’s right for peaceful assembly. We call for calm and condemn any violence.”

“If you want to make a true gesture towards Cuba, if you want to be concerned about the people of Cuba, lift the blockade and we will see how things will go,” said Díaz-Canel in an apparent response. “Why don’t they do it? Why don’t they have the courage to lift the blockade?”

In many tweets, Cuban officials keep repeating that U.S. sanctions are to blame for the country’s economic problems.

Díaz-Canel and cabinet members will apear live on state TV Monday morning, state media announced.

San Antonio de los Baños and Havana aside, there were protests in Camagüey, Palma Soriano and Santiago.

COVID contagion and death have set new records almost every day in the past week. On July 10, there were 6,923 new cases and 48 deaths. Responding to an outbreak in Matanzas, 500 medical personnel were sent to that province July 9, plus 200 members of a medical brigade that is usually sent abroad. On July 10, 200 Cuban medics were recalled from Venezuela to be deployed in the island. Mass vaccination began in May with two Cuban-developed vaccines; as of Sunday, 15.5% of the total population was fully vaccinated.

Meanwhile, amid sweltering heat, Energy Minister Nicolás Liván Arronte Cruz asked for “understanding” for rolling blackouts since June 21, saying that efforts to repair breakdowns at several Soviet-era thermoelectric power plants continue uninterrupted. Cuba’s largest, the 300-mw Antonio Guiteras plant at Matanzas, has been offline for several days after a breakdown and is scheduled to go back online Tuesday morning. The 160-mw Felton power plant near Holguín is offline again, after maintenance in late June. State utility Unión Eléctrica postponed planned maintenance for 13 of 19 generators.

The minister blamed “tense limitations for spare parts and technology, fuel for power generation due to blockade-related problems, and fuel quality”. He said more frequent blackouts in the past three days were due to a “considerable rise” in demand for electricity during peak hours.

[Jackinkc]

7 hours ago, SmokyFontaine said:

Not to get too political, but what an amazing time to be alive. People living under dictatorial communism for 2 generations are willing to sacrifice their lives for freedom, while in the States we have people running for (and winning) political office as self-proclaimed communists. Maybe they should have to live under it before they try to impose it. Might change their views quite a bit.

There was a quote I read that helps me understand why the young U.S. generation in my eyes is so weak and sensitive. 
 

“Hard times create great men. Great men create good times. Good times create weak men. Weak men create hard times. 
 

The young kids in the streets of Cuba today were raised in hard times. They will be willing to take risks and sacrifices. My prayers are with them and their families. 

[helix]

The Regime supporters/revolutionaries in the population as I understand are mostly a much older brainwashed demographic. Should it comes down to a  fight they will be hard-pressed to control the streets for the regime . Cubans just aren't buying the embargo is to blame for the situation.  IMO.  

[Corylax18]

45 minutes ago, Jackinkc said:

There was a quote I read that helps me understand why the young U.S. generation in my eyes is so weak and sensitive. 
 

“Hard times create great men. Great men create good times. Good times create weak men. Weak men create hard times. 

🤣 What Great Men have lead us to our current predicament?(not just in the US) The ones complaining about socialism while they collect Social Security and benefit from Medicare? Two programs that us "sensitive weaklings" Fund but will never benefit from, because the weak, spineless "men" who they themselves leach off the program refuse to fix it. Maybe jump off your soapbox and focus on the topic of the thread.

 

I really hope this is the "spark" as they say. There is massive appetite for change in Cuba but no appetite for a violent means to get there. Today is going to be very important. If the protests grow/continue we could start to see some real changes. As others have stated I think the Military is going to be Key. Does Raul still have an Iron grip on it? If so, I think we could see him weasel his way back into full control, but that's only a short term "fix." I hope the loss of Life is minimal and the outcome positive.  

[Fuzz]

They're gonna defrost Fidel and roll him out.

[RedLantern]

9 hours ago, SmokyFontaine said:

Not to get too political, but what an amazing time to be alive. People living under dictatorial communism for 2 generations are willing to sacrifice their lives for freedom, while in the States we have people running for (and winning) political office as self-proclaimed communists. Maybe they should have to live under it before they try to impose it. Might change their views quite a bit.

You could make the exact same statement about theocracy.

[helix]

Starving and no prospects while waiting around  for the Grandparents/Great Grandparents  promise of the socialist Utopia is wearing thin. 

[MrBirdman]

2 hours ago, Jackinkc said:

There was a quote I read that helps me understand why the young U.S. generation in my eyes is so weak and sensitive. 

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but…

[MrBirdman]

39 minutes ago, Fuzz said:

They're gonna defrost Fidel and roll him out.

If not that then it’ll be a Fidel hologram!

Oh wait, it’s Cuba…

[mbflash80]

40 minutes ago, Fuzz said:

They're gonna defrost Fidel and roll him out.

should be ok if they used the 24-48-24 method...its worked for me so far. 

[Nino]

Never thought I would see scenes like these in central Havana and the Prado/Parque Central area ...

 

 

[Kevin48438]

Medicine and food are not embargoed.  Cuba can purchase them at will from the US.

[Nino]

Police cars being overturned and vandalized and police shooting at protesters in Havana.

 

[argrovesjd]

News is scarce.  Anyone hearing anything about the situation today?  

[NW_Oregon]

Looks like #SOSCuba is what you want to follow for updates through twitter

https://twitter.com/hashtag/SOSCuba?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc^tfw

[MrBirdman]

I can’t be on Twitter for this. It’s so depressing how many people have chosen to enlist this historic event for CUBA to score points in America’s ceaseless political culture war. Some people have no shame, and most of them are on Twitter. 

[La_Tigre]

3 hours ago, Corylax18 said:

🤣 What Great Men have lead us to our current predicament?(not just in the US) The ones complaining about socialism while they collect Social Security and benefit from Medicare? Two programs that us "sensitive weaklings" Fund but will never benefit from, because the weak, spineless "men" who they themselves leach off the program refuse to fix it. Maybe jump off your soapbox and focus on the topic of the thread.

Hmmm… maybe do the same rather than parlay this into your version of U.S. politics? 🤔 🧐 🤨  It is quite irritating to see these trite U.S. political bombs dropped into a discussion unfettered. 

No word from our friends in Havana or Santiago de Cuba today. Very concerning on all fronts. 

[El Presidente]

56 minutes ago, La_Tigre said:

No word from our friends in Havana or Santiago de Cuba today. Very concerning on all fronts. 

Nothing so far however it may be due to the internet being pulled. Will post up once I receive anything. 

[dowjr1]

There are some people in the US who seem to love communism and socialism.  Can we just do a big swap and send them down and bring the Liberty loving American flag waving Cubans up?

[NW_Oregon]

I'll also jump in and mention a bit of a selfish concern...

It might be a good time to stock up on CC's incase this really boils over and production and distribution tanks.

[El Presidente]

4 minutes ago, NW_Oregon said:

I'll also jump in and mention a bit of a selfish concern...

It might be a good time to stock up on CC's incase this really boils over and production and distribution tanks.

Please don't. Not today. 👍

[MrBirdman]

3 hours ago, dowjr1 said:

There are some people in the US who seem to love communism and socialism.  Can we just do a big swap and send them down and bring the Liberty loving American flag waving Cubans up?

👆This is what I was talking about. 

This thread is about CUBA, not America. 

[Nino]

1 hour ago, El Presidente said:

Nothing so far however it may be due to the internet being pulled. Will post up once I receive anything. 

I am getting messages via FB from HAV so far - not many but enough to see it must be sporadic/localized cut-offs.

According to a good friend all is quiet in the suburbs like La Lisa. But others have not responded ....