Unseen Footage of July 11 Unrests Reveals Havana's Protests and Crackdown

Marking the fifth anniversary of the monumental July 11, 2021, protests, previously unseen videos have surfaced, capturing both the public outcry on Havana's streets and the violent crackdown orchestrated by the communist regime to quash it.

Activist Marcos Louit shared these videos on Instagram, showcasing scenes from key locations across the Cuban capital. Notably, the intersection of Belascoaín and Carlos III became a focal point where thousands chanted "Patria y Vida, freedom, freedom!" while raising their hands in peaceful protest whenever troops appeared.

The footage also conveys the desperate plea of the Cuban people: "We are dying; we lack medicine; we have no food; the government does not represent us: Patria y Vida!"

Repression Unveiled

However, alongside this hope, the videos expose the day's darker side: a meticulously planned and executed repression.

It all began when Miguel Díaz-Canel appeared on national television with a statement that would become emblematic of the regime's brutality: "The order to fight is given, revolutionaries to the streets."

This call to action mobilized so-called rapid response groups, mainly composed of military personnel disguised in civilian clothing and armed with wooden batons. They arrived by the busload at protest sites.

According to the video's creator, "though they posed as ordinary citizens, in truth, they were government mobilized individuals armed with wooden sticks, instructed to do whatever necessary against the protesters."

Systematic Intimidation

The strategy was methodical: undercover agents within the crowd identified vocal protestors, promptly detaining them to instill fear and disperse gatherings.

"As soon as someone issues a warning, shouts, or attempts to incite a protest, they are immediately abducted," describes one video.

After executing the arrests, these oppressive groups would linger, celebrating their "victory" by brandishing weapons and chanting slogans such as "Fidel! Fidel!" in a blatant display of impunity before those they had just subdued.

Regular military troops, based on available footage, supported the operation from afar, refraining from direct involvement during this initial stage.

Suppressing the Truth

The regime also enforced a widespread internet blackout to prevent images from reaching the outside world, making the emergence of this footage five years later even more significant.

The 11J protests were the largest public demonstrations in Cuba in over six decades, with Havana being the epicenter of 82 of the nationwide gatherings.

At least one protester, Diubis Laurencio Tejeda, was shot dead in La Güinera the following day, and over 1,400 individuals were detained in the days that followed.

Five years on, the wound remains unhealed. At least 338 individuals are still incarcerated for offenses directly tied to those protests, and Cuba holds a record-high number of political prisoners, ranging from 1,260 to 1,281, as reported by Prisoners Defenders.

The pardon announced in April 2026 for more than 2,000 inmates specifically excluded those convicted of "crimes against authority," a category used by the regime to criminalize the 11J protesters.

The most symbolic case on this anniversary is that of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, leader of the San Isidro Movement. Although his five-year sentence formally concluded on July 9, he remains missing after being removed from Guanajay prison by State Security on July 7, without informing his family, an act Amnesty International has labeled as enforced disappearance.