A Cuban woman frustrated by the misery and oppression of the Castro dictatorship’s so-called socialist revolution could not hold in her dissatisfaction in any longer and made it known to everyone around her. Standing in another of the many interminable lines Cubans are forced to endure for the most basic necessities, the woman finally broke and shouted, “Down with communism!” She was quickly arrested.
In a bold display of dissent, a woman staged an anti-government protest on Monday in the bustling Enramadas Street of Santiago de Cuba. As she stood in line for pension payments, she loudly voiced her disapproval of the regime with chants like “Down with Communism!” This act of defiance coincided with the anniversary of Fidel Castro’s death, drawing counter-cries of “Long live Fidel!” from regime supporters, as reported by journalist Yosmany Mayeta on Facebook.
Shortly after her protest began, uniformed officers arrived and escorted the woman to the Second Police Unit, known locally as “El Palacete,” according to the person who captured the incident on video. Eyewitnesses suggested that the woman might be suffering from psychiatric issues, speculating that she returned from a mission in Venezuela with these problems.
Freedom of expression, and especially any expression that criticizes the communist regime, is strictly prohibited in Cuba and typically results in an arrest and oftentimes prison. There’s no doubt the woman knew the consequences of her actions, but the frustration has grown so intense in Cuba that more and more Cubans are finding it difficult to keep it in.
The communist Castro dictatorship may have arrested her, but they cannot arrest and imprison the growing discontent and the dissipation of fear of the regime. It’s not a question of if the Castro dictatorship will fall, but when.