Cuba: Demonstrators attacked Communist Party office due to power outage

(Patria) - Anti-government protesters attacked a Communist Party office in central Cuba early on Saturday, state-run newspapers reported, in a rare outpouring of public discontent caused by power outages exacerbated by the U.S. oil blockade, Reuters reported.

The protest against power outages and food shortages began peacefully in the city of Moron late on Friday, and then turned violent in the early morning hours of Saturday, the newspaper Invasor wrote.

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Protesters in Cuba attack Communist party office in rare riot over blackouts - YouTube

Anti-government protesters attacked a Communist Party office in northern Cuba early on Saturday (March 14), a state-run newspaper reported, in a rare outburs...

Videos on social media show a large fire and people throwing stones through the windows of the building as voices in the background shout "freedom".

Reuters was able to verify the location of one video in Moron, located on Cuba's northern coast about 400 km east of the capital Havana, near the tourist resort of Cayo Coco. Checks showed it was filmed recently, but could not determine the exact date. The protest appears to have drawn a reaction from Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who said on social media later that day that anger over prolonged power outages was understandable, but warned against violence.

"There will be no impunity for vandalism and violence," he said.

U.S. Blockade

The United States has intensified pressure on Cuba since seizing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro – Cuba's most important foreign benefactor – in January.

U.S. President Donald Trump cut off Venezuelan oil supplies to Cuba and threatened to impose tariffs on any country selling oil to Cuba, increasing pressure on an economy already struggling with shortages of food, fuel, electricity, and medicine.

Trump has made a series of statements in recent weeks, saying Cuba is on the verge of collapse or eager to reach a deal with the United States. The Cuban government announced on Friday that it had begun talks with Washington to try to de-escalate the crisis.

Public protests, especially violent ones, are extremely rare in Cuba. The 2019 constitution grants citizens the right to demonstrate, but a law that more precisely defines this right has stalled in the legislature, leaving those who take to the streets in a legal limbo.