A video shared with journalist Mario J. Pentón and released early Saturday morning captures the true scale of the protests that erupted on Friday, July 24, in the Havana municipality of San Miguel del Padrón.
The footage depicts dozens of residents from the La Cumbre neighborhood—adjacent to El Diezmero—engaged in a loud pot-banging protest, chanting "freedom" while marching past a blazing dumpster.
Recorded by local residents and shared by Pentón on his X account, the nighttime images also reveal the extensive arrival of MININT officers in trucks, patrol cars, motorcycles, and other vehicles.
In the video’s audio, a local is heard identifying the regime's vehicles: "All those cars belong to them. The truck stopped there... It's to pick up the people."
The paradox highlighted by the protesters themselves is hard to overlook: the Cuban regime claims a lack of fuel to generate electricity—the immediate trigger for the protests—yet manages to deploy numerous motorized vehicles to quell the demonstration.
On Friday night, the National Electric Union reported a power outage affecting 2,315 MW at 9:10 p.m., nearing the record high of 2,341 MW recorded on July 8.
This month, the National Electric System experienced at least four total collapses, with power outages lasting up to 35 consecutive hours in some Havana neighborhoods.
The Friday protest was in response to a nationwide call by the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance for 9:00 p.m., ahead of July 26. The regime attempted to dampen the protest by restoring electricity in several neighborhoods right at that hour, yet demonstrations persisted in Havana, Santiago de Cuba, and Cienfuegos.
The police presence in El Diezmero and La Cumbre was not an isolated incident. Citizen journalist Yainier Hidalgo Bajuelo confirmed the law enforcement presence in the area on Facebook, and a viral video circulating online was titled: "Military deployment in El Diezmero, the Americans didn't arrive, it's against a defenseless people."
San Miguel del Padrón has been simmering with unrest for months. In May, residents protested with the slogan "Electricity and food!"; in June, there were tire burnings; on July 15, locals reported a month without water; and on July 22, a bonfire was reported in La Cumbre. In Lawton, another troubled Havana area, residents used pots and fire extinguishers to amplify the noise of the protest.
The regime's repressive actions in July include deploying the black berets of the National Special Brigade of MININT in El Vedado on July 18, and a police concentration in Old Havana on July 12. Cubalex documented 319 repressive events and 253 protests in June 2026 alone.
"The militarization is not aimed at an external enemy but at the Cuban population itself," warned Laritza Diversent, director of Cubalex, in recent statements.
Understanding the Protests in San Miguel del Padrón
What sparked the protests in San Miguel del Padrón?
The protests were triggered by a severe electricity crisis, as the Cuban regime claimed a lack of fuel to generate power, leading to prolonged blackouts.
How did the government respond to the protests?
The government responded by deploying a significant number of MININT officers with various vehicles to control and suppress the demonstrations.