Protests in Cuba seeking political change

The march called this Monday by the Cuban dissident group Archipelago, frustrated by a strong deployment of the security forces, is heir to the few but loud protests that have marked the history of the island in recent decades.

On rare occasions, Cubans have publicly demonstrated against their government since the triumph of the Revolution in January 1959.

The closest antecedent was last July 11, when hundreds of Cubans left in San Antonio de Los Baños, a municipality near Havana, shouting “Down with the dictatorship!”, “Freedom” and “Homeland and life.”

Their dissemination through social networks caused the protest to spontaneously ignite in other cities of the country, although they were quickly stopped by the security forces, leaving hundreds of detainees, sanctions and house arrests as a result.

A protest with fewer participants took place in October 2020, when members of the San Isidro Movement, activists and artists critical of the Government, were subjected to “acts of repudiation” in Havana by supporters of the regime.

Some of the members of this group locked themselves in their headquarters on November 18, going on hunger strike, until they were evicted by the police on November 26.

In support of these artists and the demands of their sector, hundreds of colleagues, some of renowned prestige such as Jorge Perugorría or Tania Bruguera, gathered on November 27 in front of the Ministry of Culture, achieving an incipient agreement; This dialogue was closed days later by the Government.

Protests in the past

However, you have to go much further back in time to find another protest of great magnitude. The largest that is remembered in Cuba in decades took place on August 5, 1994, when a large group of Havanans, mostly young people, went down to El Malecón to protest the prohibition of approaching the port days after the attempted kidnapping of boats, an event in which two policemen were killed.

Shortly after the riots began, they were put down in place by Fidel Castro, surrounded by hundreds of loyalists, who a week later allowed numerous compatriots to leave the country. An estimated 32,000 Cubans left the island on rafts in the following weeks; many of whom spent months on US bases in Guantánamo and Panama.

For years, and since 2003, the well-known “Ladies in White”, relatives of the 75 detained and convicted dissidents of the well-known Cuban “Black Spring”, demonstrated with some frequency in Havana. Those convicted at the time are already released and most of them went into exile in Spain. Its current leader, Berta Soler, was arrested this Monday when she left home to march.

Main milestones

August 5, 1994.- Riots take place on the Malecón in Havana due to the security measures imposed by the Police to prevent people from approaching the port after the hijacking of boats days before to try to leave the island. Fidel Castro put down the protests when he reached the place and, the crowd entered, affirming “to be on the side of the people in this battle.” A week later, the regime authorized Cubans to leave the country on rafts. An estimated 32,000 citizens leave the island.

2003.- The “Ladies in White”, female relatives of the 75 dissidents arrested and sentenced in the well-known “Black Spring”, demonstrated in Havana. Those convicted at the time are already released and most of them left in exile for Spain.

October-November 2020.- The dissident artists of the San Isidro Movement from Havana are concentrated and are subject to “acts of repudiation”. Some went on a hunger strike in protest and on November 27, hundreds of artists showed solidarity in a rally in front of the Ministry of Culture. The fragile agreement between the dissidents and the regime was broken on December 4.

July 11, 2021.- Hundreds of people protest in San Antonio de Los Baños, near Havana, shouting “down with the dictatorship!”, “Freedom” and “homeland and life”, which is repressed by the Police. The protests are replicated in different cities with hundreds of detainees. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, in response, encourages his supporters from television to go out into the streets “for combat.” 62 Cubans were tried for the protests and 53 of them received sentences of 3 months to 1 year in prison or fines. Various groups speak of dozens of detainees.

November 15, 2021.- The strong police presence in the main cities of the country frustrates the march called by the dissident platform Archipiélago, not authorized by the authorities.