PETER BAKER, MICHAEL STEELE,
VICTORIA, THANK YOU ALL.
>>> BACK TO THE HISTORIC
PROTESTS IN CUBA.
FREELANCE JOURNALIST ED AGUSTIN
JOINS ME NOW.
CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT YOU’RE
SEEING NOW AND HEARING FROM
PEOPLE THERE?
THE PROTESTS YESTERDAY WERE
SIMPLY ASTOUNDING, AMAZING.
>> Reporter: YEAH, YESTERDAY I
WAS OUT IN DOWNTOWN HAVANA THE
WHOLE DAY AND I WITNESSED
THOUSANDS OF PROTESTERS IN THE
CENTRAL PART OF HAVANA WHO WERE
OUT DEMANDING CHANGE, DEMANDING
THAT THE COMMUNIST GOVERNMENT
STAND DOWN.
AND THEIR MAIN GRIPE, THEIR MAIN
GRIEVANCE WAS THESE ARE PEOPLE
WHO HAVE, ESPECIALLY SINCE THE
PANDEMIC, HAVE BECOME USED TO
HAVING TO LIVE ON SMALL FOOD
RATIONS, ARE USED TO EMPTY
SHELVES AT THE SUPERMARKETS AND
PHARMACIES, AND INCREASINGLY
USED TO POWER CUTS, THE WATER
GOING OUT.
SO IT WAS REALLY THE UNDERLYING
COMPLAINTS OF PEOPLE, WAS THAT
THEY’RE FED UP WITH WAITING IN
LINE AND ECONOMIC PRIVATION.
THE PROTESTS STARTED IN THE
MORNING AND THEY ARRIVED IN
HAVANA YESTERDAY EARLY
AFTERNOON, AND THESE PROTESTS,
SOME WERE PEACEFUL AND OTHERS
WERE VIOLENT.
I SAW CONFRONTATIONS BETWEEN
PROTESTERS PICKING UP PAVING
SLABS AND HURLING THEM AT
POLICEMEN.
ONE POLICEMAN WAS HIT IN THE
FACE.
POLICE RESPONDED WITH BATONS AND
I’M SEEING VIDEOS NOW, THE
INTERNET IS CUT IN CUBA, BUT
AMMUNITION.
LATER IN THE AFTERNOON THE ARMY
WAS ON THE STATE AND PEOPLE WHO
SUPPORT THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT
CAME OUT IN THEIR THOUSANDS AS
WELL, SHOWING THEIR SUPPORT OF
WHAT THEY SEE AS A REVOLUTIONARY
PROJECT THAT’S WORTH PROTECTING.
RIGHT NOW IN HAVANA, AT LEAST,
THE INTERNET REMAINS CUT AND A
TENSE CALM HAS DESCENDED ON THE
CITY, WHILE IN KEY POINTS AROUND
THE CITY SECURITY AND POLICE ARE
OUT IN FORCE TRYING TO SHOW AN
APPEARANCE OF NORMALITY.
>> AS TO WHAT REALLY TRIGGERED
THIS, BECAUSE THE SANCTIONS, THE
U.S. SANCTIONS HAVE BEEN
CRUSHING FOR YEARS, BUT YOU’RE
SUGGESTING THAT UNDER COVID THE
PRIVATION REACHED A BREAKING
POINT FOR THESE PEOPLE.
WERE THERE A LOT OF PEOPLE
JAILED AS WELL?
HOW HARSH WAS THE GOVERNMENT
CRACKDOWN ON THESE PROTESTS?
>> Reporter: IN TERMS OF A
GOVERNMENT CRACKDOWN, I CAN
CONFIRM THAT HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE
WERE JAILED AND THERE WAS
VIOLENCE BOTH SIDES, FROM THE
PROTESTERS TOWARDS THE STATE
AUTHORITIES AND FROM THE STATE
AUTHORITIES -- FROM THE STATE
WITH MANY POLICE, BUT ALSO PLAIN
CLOTHES POLICE OFFICERS TOWARDS
THE PROTESTS.
SO I’VE BEEN REPORTING IN CUBA
FOR YEARS AND I’VE NEVER SEEN
PROTESTS OF THIS SCALE AND I’VE
NEVER SEEN VIOLENCE ON THIS
SCALE.
I THINK IN TERMS OF WHY IT’S
HAPPENING NOW, I WOULD GIVE TWO
REASONS.
FIRST OF ALL, IT’S ECONOMIC.
CUBA, NO COUNTRY IN MODERN
HISTORY HAS BEEN SANCTIONED FOR
AS LONG AS CUBA.
CUBA HAS BEEN UNDER SANCTIONS
SINCE 1960 BY THE UNITED STATES.
THOSE SANCTIONS WERE VERY, VERY
MUCH INCREASED UNDER THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION AND THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION, TO DATE, HAS NOT
REMOVED ANY OF THOSE SANCTIONS.
AND SO THIS IS A LONG-STANDING
PRESSURE COOKER STRATEGY WHICH
HAS AS ITS AIM THE IDEA TO
SUFFICIENT INDICATE THE CUBAN
ECONOMY, AND PROVOKE DISCONTENT
TO OVERTHROW THE GOVERNMENT.
AS YOU ALLUDED TO, THE PANDEMIC
HAS MADE THINGS FAR WORSE.
THEY’RE HIGHLY RELIANT ON
TOURISM REVENUE, CUBA NO
EXCEPTION, AND ESPECIALLY
HAVANA, WE’RE SEEING THAT PLAY
OUT.
AND SO THAT’S ONE OF THE
REASONS.
THE OTHER BIG CHANGE, FACTOR
HERE, OF CHANGING THINGS, IS THE
INTERNET.
THE PROTESTS STARTED BOTH IN AN
EASTERN CITY AND A WESTERN CITY
IN THE MORNING AND NEWS OF THAT
SWEPT TO HAVANA.
BY EARLY AFTERNOON PEOPLE
STARTED COMING OUT.
IN YEARS GONE BY WHEN THERE WERE
PROTESTS IN TOWNS AND CITIES IN
OTHER POINTS IN CUBA, PEOPLE
SIMPLY WOULDN’T KNOW.
WE’RE SEEING THE MASS ROLLOUT OF
THE INTERNET WITH MILLIONS
CONNECTED CHANGING THE SOCIAL