Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, first secretary of the PCC committee in Santiago de Cuba, meets with the protesters: "We attended a group of people around the Antonio Maceo District of #SantiagoDeCuba, dissatisfied with the electricity supply and food distribution, we are part of the people, integrated and facing the genocidal blockade" - via Twitter
Below we republish a statement on the recent protests in Santiago de Cuba from the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP):
To parties, social movements and organizations of solidarity with Cuba
The enemies of the Revolution, opportunistically and manipulatively, intend to exploit, once again, the complex economic scenario we face for destabilizing purposes.
On the afternoon of Sunday, March 17, groups of citizens in the eastern part of the country expressed their dissatisfaction with the difficulties that have impacted on two crucial areas of the life of our population: the lack of electricity generation capacity and the distribution of food.
These events were once again used by well-known terrorists, based in the United States, to encourage actions that contravene the usual calm, internal order and peace that characterize our society.
The images of what happened were eloquent. The top representatives of the Communist Party of Cuba and the government in those localities met with the people to attend to their demands, to listen, to dialogue and to explain the enormous efforts being made to improve the situation. Despite crude stratagems to try to distort events, an atmosphere of calm prevailed.
The U.S. government and its embassy in Havana, in frankly interfering behavior, released messages manipulating reality alleging supposed concerns about respect for the human rights of our people.
That Government, in an act of utter cynicism and devoid of any moral authority to make such pronouncements, is directly responsible for the acute economic situation facing the Cuban people as a result of the intensified blockade and the effects of the unjust inclusion of our country on the spurious list of States allegedly sponsoring terrorism, whose sole purpose is to destabilize and overthrow the Revolution.
Every effort by the Cuban government to improve the living conditions of the people must overcome the obstacles imposed by this unjust, illegal and genocidal policy, articulated with a ferocious media campaign and the application of instruments of unconventional warfare against Cuba.
At these crucial times, the resolute support of friendly political forces, social movements and solidarity around the world becomes indispensable. In the face of attempts to distort reality and discredit the Revolution and its leaders, we count on your historical accompaniment to defend together the truth about Cuba and its legitimate right to build a sovereign and independent society, free from outside interference or pressure.