Cuban protesters ransack Communist office as energy crisis deepens

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Jessica Rawnsley

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Watch: Video appears to show Cuban protesters burn objects in front of Communist party office

Protesters in Cuba have ransacked a Communist Party building following a rally over steep food prices and persistent power cuts, in a rare show of public dissent.

Five people were arrested after a small group vandalised the offices in the central city of Moron overnight into Saturday, Cuba’s Interior Ministry (Minint) said.

Discontent among Cubans has been mounting as the island is buffeted by rolling blackouts and shortages of food, fuel and medicine, exacerbated by a prolonged US oil blockade.

The protest came hours after the government in Havan confirmed talks with the US to “seek solutions through dialogue” to the two countries’ differences were under way.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said in a national broadcast on Friday that no fuel had entered the country in three months as a result of the US oil blockade.

US President Donald Trump has made no secret of his desire for a change in Cuba’s leadership. He said on Monday that Cuba was in “deep trouble” as he threatened a “friendly takeover”.

Trump previously said the one-party state would be “next” following the capture of its ally, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, in January.

Since then, the US has blocked Venezuelan oil shipments - which provided for about half of Cuba’s energy needs - and threatened to impose tariffs on any country that sold oil to the island nation. This is on top of a six-decade US trade embargo.

Havana relies heavily on imported fuel for electricity generation, and the oil blockade has brought Cuba’s beleaguered economy close to collapse.

The crisis has affected rubbish collection, emergency hospital wards, public transport and education.

Friday’s demonstration “initially began peacefully” before escalating into “acts of vandalism”, state-run newspaper Invasor said.

“A smaller group of people stoned the entrance to the building and started a fire in the street with furniture from the reception area.”

Other state-run facilities, including a pharmacy and a government-operated market were also targeted, it added.

Footage circulating on social media appears to show rocks being hurled through the windows as people shout “liberty” and a large fire burns in the centre of the street.

Minint said in a statement that “specialised forces” were investigating the “acts of vandalism”.

Public dissent is uncommon in Cuba. While its 2019 constitution grants citizens the right to demonstrate, a law defining the extent of that right is currently stalled in the legislature.

Following rolling power cuts across the country in recent weeks, some Cubans have taken to protesting by banging pots and pans in the streets at night or at home.

The capital, Havana, which has seen blackouts of up to 15 hours a day, has been the epicentre of recent protests.

Last week, a group of students gathered at the University of Havana to protest disruptions to their education caused by the deepening energy crisis.

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