Cuba's Digital Revolution: Thousands march in Havana to protest against Communist regime

Cuba: As locals in Havana take to the streets to protest against the long-standing Communist government for its inefficiency and demand free vaccines as well as raise voice over shortage of food and rising inflation amid COVID-19, protestors were seen chanting "Freedom" and "Down with Communism" slogans before authorities were able to momentarily quell down what could have turned into a riot solely organised on the internet. Here's US President Joe Biden's statement on the recently erupted political protests in Cuba:

Cuba's digital revolution

Cubans couldn't readily access the internet until recently in 2019. However, 2.5 years later, social media fueling the country's largest anti-government protests in nearly 30 years and all popular media platforms are ripe with discontent against the government and its establishments.

Crash course in Cuba's short political history

The Communist Party has ruled Cuba since Fidel Castro came to power in 1959. Under Castro's rule, the government has strictly curtailed the freedom to protest and has come down with a firm hand on all political Opposition, which has invariably prompted a US trade embargo against the island nation in 1962.

The beginning of the end of Cuba

The collapse of Cuba's sponsor-the Soviet Union resulted in an economic crisis in the 1990s. Protests ensued that some speculated would topple the government, however, Castro's authoritarian rule survived, primarily because it wasn't exposed to the world's advancements.

As Cuba spiralled into an economic crisis in the years that followed, the internet which swept most of the world remained off the grid in the island nation east off the Florida coast. Cuban authorities viewed the internet as a potential threat to their control of the State. It was deemed illegal to own a computer without a government permit until as late as 2008, and only allowed under special approval were people granted access to the internet inside their homes. 

The delayed rise of dotcom

Although internet access expanded eventually, most people still had to visit public hotspots to buy an access card and use a cell phone to surf Cuba's spotty internet connection. In 2013, Cuban bandwidth increased dramatically, after a cable connected its internet to Venezuela. By 2018, the government decided to provide 3g connection to its people, when the world was already moving beyond 4g and fibre connection. Due to the government's expansion, now, several of the country's 11 million population is currently believed to have basic 3g access and are very much online.
However, with the economy in crisis again and US sanctions back in place, and the pandemic crushing Cuba's tourism industry leaving it with less foreign currency to import food, fuel and other necessities, locals are staring at severe shortages, long lines for basic goods, sky-rocketing prices and frequent power outages.

What led to the latest protests in Cuba?

Over the weekend between July 11 and July 12, widespread protests were organised against the government's political and economic policies outside the nation's capital building in Havana. As anti-government protestors clashed with police officers, factions of pro-government supporters recorded videos and posted them online. Aided by social media, the movement quickly spread elsewhere in the country.

The Cuban government has resorted to old ways of blaming the US amid its internal uproar, calling it an "orchestrated social media campaign" and instigators "mercenaries" as they continued to 'provoke the Cuban people on the ground'. Cuban President Diaz-Canel, for his part, encouraged pro-government supporters, primarily 'revolutionaries and communists to hit the streets in an effort to highlight US provocations.'

62 years after direct military rule, today the country is faced with bitterness owing to a lack of food, medicine and a failing economy. The United States Senator  Marco Rubio tweeting about the protests, said, 'Expect the regime to block internet & cell phone service soon to prevent videos about what is happening to get out to the world,' as he anticipates much more violent reactions by the Cuban government in the coming days. CNN journalist Patrick Oppmann also quipped that after living in the country for nine years, he has never seen anything as he did on July 12. 'The protests spread more quickly than anyone could have imagined. I don't know what tomorrow will bring but the level of discontent and anger isn't going anywhere,' he tweeted.