Protesters in the Cuban city of Morón ransacked and set fire to the municipal Communist Party headquarters on the night of March 13, prompting five arrests as rolling blackouts and food shortages continue to grip the island.
The demonstration began peacefully before escalating into confrontations with authorities. Videos circulating on social media showed crowds marching through unlit streets, banging pots and chanting “Libertad” before converging on the Party building.
Protesters removed furniture, documents, and political symbols from inside and burned them in the street. A nearby pharmacy and state-run store were also damaged.
Efecto Trump/ Marco Rubio: Candela al Partido Comunista de Cuba; están luchando por su libertad! pic.twitter.com/tHSrDZS8qR
— Alain Paparazzi Cubano (@CubanoPaparazzi) March 14, 2026
The state-run newspaper Invasor reported that the protest “degenerated into vandalism” after an exchange with local officials.
Footage circulating online appeared to capture gunfire and showed a young man collapsing near the building before being carried away by fellow protesters. State media outlet Vanguardia de Cuba denied anyone was struck, posting on X that “no one was injured by gunfire” and that shots were fired into the air to disperse the crowd. The outlet attributed the young man’s injury to a fall.
👤 El muchacho que intentan victimizar fue uno de los responsables de los disturbios. Al intentar arrancar la identificación del Partido, sufrió una caída. Sus propios compañeros lo trasladaron en motorina y actualmente recibe atención médica en el hospital.
— Vanguardia de Cuba (@VanguardiaCuba) March 14, 2026
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel responded on social media, acknowledging public frustration over prolonged blackouts but warning against violence. “For vandalism and violence, there will be no impunity.,” he wrote.
Es comprensible el malestar que provocan en nuestro pueblo los prolongados apagones, como consecuencia del bloqueo energético de EE.UU, cruelmente recrudecido en los últimos meses.
Y son legítimas las quejas y reclamos, siempre que se actúe con civismo y respeto al orden…
— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) March 14, 2026
The protests follow a week of pot-banging demonstrations across Havana and a failure at the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Power Plant that triggered widespread outages. Díaz-Canel confirmed Friday that Cuba has received no petroleum shipments in three months, blaming the U.S. oil blockade. The Trump administration cut off Venezuelan oil supplies to Cuba following the capture of Nicolás Maduro in January.
Morón, located roughly 250 miles east of Havana, was also a focal point of the July 2021 anti-government protests.
