Protesters attack Cuba communist party office in riot
Anti-government protesters attacked a communist party office in central Cuba, a state-run newspaper reported, in a rare outbreak of popular dissent triggered by blackouts worsened by a US oil blockade.
The demonstration against power outages and food shortages in the city of Moron began peacefully late Friday and turned violent early Saturday morning, Invasor newspaper reported.
Videos on social media show a huge fire breaking out and people shouting “freedom” in the background and throwing stones at the windows of a building.
Reuters was able to confirm the location of one video in Moron, located on Cuba’s northern coast, about 400 kilometers east of the capital Havana, near the tourist resort of Cayo Coco.
Checks showed it was new but could not determine the exact date.
The Cuban government said that the interior ministry launched an investigation into the incident.
The United States has tightened pressure on Cuba since the capture in January of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Cuba’s top foreign benefactor.
US President Donald Trump has cut off Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba and threatened to impose tariffs on any country selling oil to Cuba, putting pressure on an economy already struggling with shortages of food, fuel, electricity and medicine.
Trump has made a series of statements in recent weeks saying Cuba is on the brink of collapse or willing to make a deal with the United States.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said Friday that he was in talks with the U.S. government to defuse the crisis.
Díaz-Canel said no oil shipments had arrived in Cuba in the last three months and blamed the US energy blockade.
He said the island runs on a mix of natural gas, solar energy and thermoelectric power plants.
Public protests, especially violent protests, are extremely rare in Cuba.
The 2019 constitution gives citizens the right to demonstrate, but a law defining this right more specifically is pending in the legislature, leaving those taking to the streets in legal limbo.
“What initially started peacefully, and after an exchange with local authorities, escalated into acts of vandalism against the headquarters of the Municipal Party Committee,” the Invasor newspaper reported. he said.
🔥🇨🇺 Ciego de Ávila at its calmest, most manipulative. You donated the money a niño received from a distribution. La verdad es clara: no hubo heridos por arma de fuego. They dispersed the air to disperse the air. Abro hilo 🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/75UHopIws5— Vanguardia de Cuba (@VanguardiaCuba) March 14, 2026
“A smaller group of people threw stones at the entrance to the building and started a fire on furniture in the reception area and on the street,” the statement said.
The vandals targeted many other state-run establishments in the area, including a pharmacy and a government market, the report said.
In a video on social media, a gunshot is heard and the camera shows a person lying on the ground.
State media outlet Vanguardia de Cuba denied online reports that the man lying on the ground was shot by police.
Vanguardia de Cuba said on channel X: “The footage circulating shows the protest area, but it is important for the public to know the truth: no one was injured in the shooting.”
“Media manipulation aims to create fear and confusion among our people. Let’s not fall for the provocations.”
State media reported that police detained five people and that a drunk participant was treated in hospital for injuries he fell from.
Last week, several small groups of Havana residents banged pots to protest prolonged power outages.
Students staged a sit-in on the steps of the University of Havana on Monday after the government suspended face-to-face classes, blaming the US oil blockade.
Fuel shortages have greatly reduced public transportation and made it difficult, if not impossible, for teachers and students to gather for classes.
Moron was also the site of significant protests during the anti-government riots of July 11, 2021, the largest since Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution.
with AP
