Ulises Toirac Summoned by State Security: "Seems They Don't Like What I'm Saying"

Cuban comedian Ulises Toirac revealed on social media that he has been summoned for an interview by State Security. Toirac shared a brief video on Facebook, filmed on the street as he was on his way to the meeting. "I'm heading to a conversation, an exchange, as they put it. Seems they don't like what I'm saying. Let's see how it goes," he stated.

Many friends and followers quickly expressed their support. "Oh boy, the ones who think they own people's lives called you in," a Havana resident commented. Another supporter, an emigrant, added, "I'm sure Gustavito and the judge are waiting to have you sign the sentence. We're with you; good luck, buddy." A different commenter noted, "Those trolls dislike intelligent people who think for themselves."

Adding to the criticism, a concerned father questioned, "How can a country thrive when it tries to silence any thought, any opinion, and any vision that deviates slightly from the official line?"

In recent days, Toirac has been vocal about his criticism of the new measures imposed by ETECSA, the Cuban telecommunications monopoly. On Wednesday, he reacted to a student strike initiated by the Faculty of Mathematics and Computing at the University of Havana, warning that any attempt by the government to suppress it would have an "unpayable" political cost. According to Toirac, this scenario presents both an intriguing and critical crossroads for those in power. "Repression will come at a high political cost, in my opinion, unpayable; allowing it would show a level of political weakness never seen before," he wrote on Facebook. "There are things you can foresee if you have a brain, but more than brains, there's been arrogance," he concluded.

Previously, Toirac criticized the disconnect between Cuban leadership and the country's reality, as well as the systematic manipulation of official discourse. "One of the dangers of living in a bubble... is having no clue where things are headed. And acting accordingly," he stated in a post that quickly went viral.

After the televised appearance of Tania Velázquez, ETECSA's president, regarding the controversial price hike, Toirac pointed out that she offered no real insight into the company's state. "If there's a crisis of such magnitude, which isn't the consumer's fault but the company's, she should have started with, 'I resign,'" the comedian quipped.

Since the announcement of the new prices by the regime's telecommunications monopoly, Toirac rejected the measures in a post that mixed irony, criticism, and economic analysis of Cuba's telecommunications sector collapse. His message began with an ostensibly understanding tone: "The government can't keep subsidizing products and services" like connectivity or food. "Freebies are over," he emphasized.

He then painted a stark picture of the reality: a Cuban peso that "isn't worth even the paper it's printed on," a population with no purchasing power, and a government unable to print more bills. He summed it all up in two words: "Tough luck."

The new ETECSA pricing structure, reminiscent of the neoliberal packages criticized by the Cuban regime, is seen by most Cubans as both abusive and discriminatory, described as "daylight robbery." The policy demands that once the meager monthly data allowance (a mere 6 GB) is exhausted, customers must rely on costly recharge plans priced in Cuban pesos and foreign currency, far out of reach for the majority, who earn their salaries in a severely devalued Cuban peso amid rampant inflation.

Following widespread public backlash, ETECSA attempted to mollify critics with new measures, offering 12 GB for 720 CUP and free access to educational sites, but only to university students. However, young people rejected this "privilege," demanding equal treatment for the entire population. The wave of student dissatisfaction with these decisions led students from the Faculty of Mathematics and Computing at the University of Havana to call for an indefinite academic strike.