‘We are no longer afraid’: Thousands of Cubans protest against conditions on island

Thousands of Cubans took to the streets across the country on Sunday in an unusual protest in which civilians shouted slogans against the Communist government, such as “We want freedom” and “We are no longer afraid.”

The demonstrations came at a time when Cuba faces the worst economic crisis since the fall of the Soviet Union, an increase in repression against political opponents and a strained health system during a critical stage of the pandemic. Health authorities reported almost 7,000 new cases and 47 deaths — a record for infections and deaths on the Caribbean island of just over 11 million people.

In Miami, hundreds of people gathered in the Little Havana neighborhood in solidarity with the growing protests in Cuba. “I know my family in Cuba is struggling, people are dying. It’s terrible,” Miami resident Christian Guzmán told NBC station WTVJ.

“Right now it’s hard. There’s no food, there’s no medicine. The Covid outbreak. The whole country is in the streets,” Darío Suárez said.

In Cuba, the protests began early Sunday afternoon in the municipality of San Antonio de los Baños, in the Artemisa province, adjacent to Havana. A few hours later they had spread to the east of the country, in provinces such as Santiago de Cuba.