Thousands of Cubans took to the streets in Havana and other cities on Sunday to call for President Miguel Diaz-Canel to step down
HAVANA, Cuba: In the largest demonstrations in Communist Cuba in decades, thousands of Cubans took to the streets in Havana and other cities on Sunday to call for President Miguel Diaz-Canel to step down, while chanting «freedom.» The protests come during Cuba’s worst economic crisis since the fall of its ally, the Soviet Union, along with a record surge in coronavirus infections. Those marching voiced anger over shortages of basic goods, curbs on civil liberties and the authorities’ handling of the pandemic. Thousands of protesters were seen in the streets in parts of Havana, with their shouts drowning out groups of government supporters waving the Cuban flag and chanting «Fidel.» In Havana, special forces jeeps, with mounted machine guns, patrolled streets. The police were visible on streets long after people had returned home due to the 9 pm Covid curfew. «We are going through really difficult times,» said Miranda Lazara,53, a dance teacher who joined thousands of protesters who marched through Havana. «We need a change of systems.» Diaz-Canel, who also heads the Communist Party, said protesters were being manipulated by U.
