In Cuba, hundreds take to the streets in rare protests as economic crisis deepens
Hundreds of protesters took to the streets Sunday in Cuba’s second-largest city, Santiago, demanding food and power amid a worsening economic crisis that has left many everyday Cubans with scarce amounts of each.
Hundreds of protesters took to the streets Sunday in Cuba’s second-largest city, Santiago, demanding food and power amid a worsening economic crisis that has left many everyday Cubans with scarce amounts of each.
In widely circulated videos on social media, Cubans in Santiago, in the east, can be heard chanting, “We are hungry,” as well as calling for electricity and food. Some residents have experienced power outages for 18 hours a day or more.
While there have been occasional outbreaks of protests in the past few years, they are still rare on the tightly controlled, communist-run island.
Videos circulated on social media also show protests in Bayamo, another city in the east.
Cuba has been grappling with a severe economic crisis, with shortages of food, medicine, fuel and power. Inflation has risen sharply, making many products unaffordable for Cubans who depend on an average monthly state salary of $16.
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