President Trump says Cuba may or may not do a ‘friendly takeover’
President Donald Trump has said the United States may or may not take a “friendly takeover” of Cuba.
HAVANA – Anti-government demonstrators attacked Communist Party offices in central Cuba early Saturday morning, a state newspaper reported, in an unusual eruption of public dissent in the wake of power outages exacerbated by a U.S. oil blockade.
A rally against power outages and food shortages appeared to start peacefully in the city of Moron late Friday, but turned violent early Saturday, the Invasor newspaper said.
Videos on social media showed a large fire breaking out and people throwing stones through the building’s windows as people chanted “freedom” in the background.
Reuters was able to locate one video in Moron, on Cuba’s northern coast, about 400 miles east of the capital Havana and near the tourist town of Cayo Coco. Testing revealed that it was recent, but the exact date could not be determined.
The United States has tightened its grip on Cuba since January, when it detained Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Cuba’s most important foreign patron.
US President Donald Trump has halted oil shipments from Venezuela to Cuba and threatened to impose tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba, adding pressure to an economy already suffering from shortages of food, fuel, electricity and medicine.
President Trump has made a series of statements in recent weeks that Cuba is on the verge of collapse or that he wants a deal with the United States. The Cuban government announced on Friday that it had begun talks with the United States to try to calm the crisis.
Mass protests, especially violent protests, are extremely rare in Cuba. The 2019 constitution grants people the right to demonstrate, but legislation to more specifically define that right has stalled in parliament, leaving those taking to the streets in legal limbo.
“It started out peacefully, but after some exchanges with local authorities, it escalated into vandalism against the city party committee headquarters,” Invasor reported.
It added: “A small number of people threw stones at the entrance to the building and used furniture from the reception area to start a fire in the street.”
The vandals also targeted several other state-run facilities in the area, including pharmacies and a government market, the report said.
In one video posted on social media, gunshots can be heard and the camera pans to a person lying on the ground. State media Banguardia de Cuba denied online reports that a person lying on the ground had been shot dead by police.
“The images circulating show the scene of a protest, but it is important that the public knows the truth. No one was injured by the gunfire,” Banguardia de Cuba told X.
He added, “Media manipulation is trying to sow fear and confusion among the people. Let’s not take advantage of the provocation.”
Police detained five people, and one inebriated protester who fell and was being treated for injuries at a hospital, state media said.
Over the past week, small groups of residents across Havana have banged pots to protest prolonged power outages.
On Monday, students staged a sit-in on the steps of the University of Havana after the government suspended in-person classes blaming the U.S. oil blockade. Fuel shortages have drastically reduced public transportation, making it difficult, if not impossible, for teachers and students to gather for classes.
Moron was also the site of large-scale protests during the July 11, 2021 anti-government uprising, the largest since Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution.
(Reporting by Dave Sherwood; Additional reporting by Aaron McNicholas; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
