Cuba: Protesters attack ruling party's office amid blackouts

"Protesters in central Cuba attacked early Saturday an office of the ruling Communist Party, amid growing discontent over hourslong blackouts fueled by a US oil blockade. Angry protesters vandalized the Communist Party office in the city of Moron, some 460 kilometers (roughly 285 miles) east of the capital, Havana, as a peaceful rally against power cuts and food shortages turned violent."

"Videos on social media showed people throwing rocks as well as ransacking the Communist Party office, removing documents, computers and furniture and burning it in the street. 'What began peacefully, after an exchange with the authorities in the area, degenerated into vandalism against the headquarters of [the] municipal committee of the Communist Party,' the state Invasor newspaper reported."

"A Moron resident who spoke to the French AFP news agency on condition of anonymity said hotels in the town, a main source of revenue and prime employer owing to tourism, have been shuttered amid the energy crisis, adding that this has exacerbated residents' economic woes."

Cuba faces severe energy crisis driven by a US oil blockade, causing extended daily blackouts that have pushed residents to critical discontent levels. Protesters in Moron, a central Cuban city, attacked a Communist Party office on Saturday, vandalizing property and burning documents after a peaceful rally against power cuts and food shortages escalated into violence. The blackouts have devastated local economies, particularly tourism-dependent towns where hotels remain shuttered. Residents express grievances through pot-banging protests and street demonstrations. President Diaz-Canel condemned the violence while acknowledging public frustration. Five protesters were detained. Cuba's economy, already weakened by a six-decade US trade embargo, has deteriorated further under recent circumstances.

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