Riot police walk the streets after a demonstration against the government of President Miguel Diaz-Canel in Arroyo Naranjo Municipality, Havana on July 12, 2021. - Cuba on Monday blamed a "policy of economic suffocation" of United States for unprecedented anti-government protests, as President Joe Biden backed calls to end "decades of repression" on the communist island. Thousands of Cubans participated in Sunday's demonstrations, chanting "Down with the dictatorship," as President Miguel Díaz-Canel urged supporters to confront the protesters. (Photo by YAMIL LAGE / AFP) (Photo by YAMIL LAGE/AFP via Getty Images)
Cuban authorities reported that a local communist party building was ransacked and set on fire in Morón, Cuba, Friday night, following escalating tensions over an energy crisis and food shortages.
Video footage captured protesters scaling the building, throwing belongings from second-floor windows, and hurling objects onto the streets. The incident began as a peaceful demonstration but turned violent after clashes with territorial authorities.
Five individuals were arrested for their involvement in the vandalism, according to local reports. Cuban officials stated that a young man injured during the unrest was actually one of the protesters who fell while attempting to remove his party identification and has since been transported to a hospital.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel blamed an increasingly cruel and intensified U.S. energy blockade for the unrest in Morón, which is located about 250 miles east of Havana and has a population of approximately 70,000. The president emphasized that while complaints about blackouts were legitimate, violence and vandalism threatening public tranquility would not be tolerated, adding: “There will be no impunity for vandalism and violence.”
Diaz-Canel also stated that “tranquility” remains predominant in the province.
About the Author
