Five people were arrested after a small group vandalized offices in the central city of Morón overnight Saturday, Cuba’s Interior Ministry (Minint) said.
Discontent among Cubans is growing as the island faces shortages of electricity, food, fuel and medicine, exacerbated by a long-running US oil embargo.
The protest came a few hours after the government in Havana confirmed that talks are underway with the United States about “seeking a solution through dialogue” between the two countries.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said fuel had not entered the country for three months as a result of the US oil embargo.
US President Donald Trump has made no secret of his desire for a change in Cuba’s leadership.
On Monday, he said Cuba was in “deep trouble” and threatened a “friendly takeover.”
Trump previously said the one-party state would be “next,” following the arrest of its ally, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, in January.
Since then, the US has blocked shipments of Venezuelan oil — which covered about half of Cuba’s energy needs — and threatened to impose tariffs on any country that sells oil to the island nation.
The United States imposed a trade embargo on Cuba six years ago.
Havana relies heavily on imported fuel to generate electricity, and the oil embargo has brought the Cuban economy to the brink of collapse.
The crisis affected garbage collection, hospital operations, public transportation and education.
State-run newspaper Invasor reported that the demonstrations “initially began peacefully”, before escalating into “acts of vandalism”.
“A small group of people threw stones at the entrance to the building and started a fire in the street using furniture from the reception.”
It added that other government facilities, including a pharmacy and a government-run market, were also targeted.
Footage circulating on social media shows rocks being thrown through windows as people chant “freedom” while a large fire burns in the middle of the street.
In a statement, Minint stated that “specialized forces” are investigating “acts of vandalism”.
Public dissent is uncommon in Cuba.
Although the 2019 constitution gives citizens the right to demonstrate, a law specifying the scope of that right is currently blocked in the legislative process.
After blackouts across the country in recent weeks, some Cubans began protesting by banging pots and pans on the streets at night or from their homes.
The capital, Havana, where power outages lasted up to 15 hours a day, was the epicenter of recent protests.
Last week, a group of students gathered at the University of Havana to protest the disruptions in education caused by the deepening energy crisis.
(Vijesti.ba)
