The PCC reminds residents overwhelmed by blackouts and hunger that “it was the Revolution that gave them electricity”
14ymedio, Havana, 8 March 2025 — Shortly after hundreds of residents began protesting in Río Cauto in Granma province on Friday, authorities arrived in the town of Guamo to restore order and address what they considered to be mere “dissatisfaction and complaints about real situations that affect everyday life.” The demonstration, which began by calling for the release of a resident – Mayelín Carrasco Álvarez – who was arrested for protesting alone, ended, according to the official press, as an “exchange with the authorities,” protected by a large deployment of uniformed officers.
According to local media , the residents went to the municipal government headquarters to “exchange with the authorities in search of solutions.” The “dialogue” was achieved when the first secretary of the Communist Party in the province, Yudelkis Ortiz, showed up and focused on delays in the delivery of rationed food, non-payment of salaries, problems with water supply, milk sales, transportation and power outages.
“The Revolution is not going to take away anything that it has given you. The Revolution was the one that gave you electricity. What was Río Cauto before the triumph of the Revolution? […] There was hardly anything here. Everything that has been built here is thanks to the Revolution,” the official told the neighbors, who listened to her in silence, according to a video shared by profiles close to the government.
https://www.facebook.com/michelcarlos.santiesteban/videos/946015207521115/?ref=embed_video&t=30
Surrounded by Interior Ministry agents and police with batons – as well as plainclothes security guards – the leader also spoke of the “tireless work of the authorities” and the “intensified blockade” and that was it, with the promise of “to the extent possible, finding solutions,” according to a post on social media by the local channel CNC TV Granma.
The press, which played down the protest by presenting it as a meeting between concerned civilians and the authorities, did not say a word about the arrest of Carrasco Álvarez last Wednesday, which triggered the demonstration on Friday afternoon. The neighbors began the protest by banging pots and shouting “We want Mayelín!”, a mother of three children who came out to denounce the hunger and state neglect that is experienced in the area.
“Where is the Revolution?” the 47-year-old woman then asked, adding that “there is no Revolution because everything has collapsed,” as seen in a video released by the leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba, José Daniel Ferrer. Shortly afterward, two men interrupted the protest and forcibly took Carrasco Álvarez away. Since then, her family has reported that she has been incommunicado and that they have not been able to see her.
“Where is the Revolution?” the 47-year-old woman then asked, adding that “there is no Revolution because everything has collapsed.”
Witnesses to the protest shouted “let her go!” “shameless!” “let her speak!” and other phrases of support. Ferrer explained on his social networks that Carrasco Álvarez had also previously publicly protested against hunger.
This Friday, the citizen demonstration also attracted a strong operation. “Recent videos show patrol cars heading to the protest site, with the apparent intention of repressing the peaceful demonstration,” the organization Justicia 11J warned on its X account.
In images posted on social media, police can be seen blocking the way for dozens of people trying to join the protest, while several local residents can be heard saying “Let’s go along the (train) line!”, heading towards the area where the protesters are gathering.
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