Protests planned for 15 November 2021 did not materialise, after the Cuban government rejected requests from activists across the country to hold a peaceful demonstration. Police flooded the streets of the capital, Havana, and several protest leaders reported being confined to their homes by state actors and supporters. The anti-government rally, calling for justice for the protestors detained during the landmark demonstrations in July 2021, were deemed “illegal”. The Cuban government has deployed repression tactics, alongside allegations of United States (US) involvement.

RESPONSES TO THE PLANNED DEMONSTRATIONS

As the start time of the 15 November marches approached, large numbers of police were deployed in the capital with many concentrated around the houses of prominent organisers. This came after months of repression and several high-profile arrests. Those detained include journalist and human rights campaigner, Guillermo Farinas, historian and political activist, Manuel Cuesta Morúa, and the leader of the Ladies in White movement, Berta Soler. One of the loudest dissidents, playwright and activist, Yunior Garcia, had fled to Spain after suffering “brutal police pressure”.

Whilst a tense calm prevailed over the nation’s capital, many took to social media to express their frustration. Archipelago, the 35,000-member strong Facebook group that has been used to coordinate demonstrations, called on protesters to post videos of themselves dressed in white, carrying roses and banging pots and pans until 27 November. Cuban Americans in Miami held their own rallies to support those on the island.

Cuban Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodriguez, has mocked what he called a “failed operation” and continued the government’s line of blaming the US for “intense and constant attempts to create conditions for internal destabilisation”.

The US State Department spoke out in support of the people who “stood in the face of government repression to make their voices heard,” but has denied allegations of meddling. US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said that the US will “continue to pursue measures that both support the Cuban people and promote accountability for the Cuban regime’s repression”.

UNPRECEDENTED PROTESTS OF JULY 2021

The government response to the July 2021 protests was the main motivation behind the planned November demonstrations. 11 July 2021 was unlike any other day in modern Cuba, with thousands taking to the streets over food and medicine shortages, power outages, worsening inflation, and the government’s response to the pandemic.

Demonstrations were overwhelmingly peaceful, with protestors chanting “Liberty” or “Motherland and life” (a play on the government’s old slogan “Motherland or death” and the name of a popular song which criticises the revolutionary government). State actors responded to the demonstrations swiftly and with force, as the police and the widely feared “black berets,” the Cuban Special Forces, rounded up protestors and bystanders.

The brutal strategy of repression deployed by state actors included arbitrary detention, ill-treatment of detainees, and sham trials. Human Rights Watch has documented abuses against over 130 detainees, including sleep deprivation, beatings, threats, abusive interrogations and limited access to clean water or face masks to protect against the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

According to Cuban rights group, Cubalex, over 1,000 people were arrested (many under the age of 18), with over 600 still detained or under house arrest. The death of Diubis Laurencio Tejeda, a 36-year-old singer who was shot in the back by a police officer during a demonstration in the outskirts of Havana, was also reported.

The Cuban government denies any mistreatment of prisoners. Gerardo Hernández, a member of Cuba's Council of State, claimed that Guantanamo Bay is the only place in Cuba where these alleged abuses would take place.

Tactics of repression extended beyond detentions, and include internet outages and erratic connectivity, as well as restrictions on social media and other messaging platforms. This is a tool which has been used in the past to limit dissidents’ ability to mobilise.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel urged his supporters to respond violently to protests: “we call on all revolutionaries to go to the streets to defend the revolution. The order to fight has been given”. 

Protests in Cuba have always been forbidden, but the country’s new constitution, approved three years ago, opened a new space for “legitimate” protest. However, the government’s reaction to the latest round of opposition protests follows a long history in Cuba which criminalizes peaceful protest and imprisons Cubans for expressing their opinions.

Ellie is a Masters graduate in Caribbean and Latin American Studies from UCL, currently working at the UK National Commission for UNESCO. She has conducted research on gender equality and masculinities, and has a specific interest in the Latin American/Caribbean region.

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