As Morón Erupts in Protests, Díaz-Canel Praises Regime's Media for "Defending the Revolution"

On Saturday, while the town of Morón was still reeling from protests that culminated the previous night with the storming and burning of the Communist Party headquarters, Miguel Díaz-Canel posted a message on his X account applauding the Cuban state media on Cuban Press Day, without any mention of the ongoing crisis or demonstrations shaking the country.

Early in the morning, the president referred to the official journalists as "worthy comrades of all the Revolution's battles" and likened them to soldiers in combat. "I embrace the Cuban Press, worthy comrades of all the Revolution's battles, both at home and abroad, who have always narrated history from the trenches, whether in the tough daily grind or in international missions. Alongside combatants, doctors, teachers, and builders, they have been and are soldiers in the Martian way that combat demands when facing the enemy. Congratulations," Díaz-Canel wrote.

The message came just hours after hundreds of Cubans took to the streets of Morón, in Ciego de Ávila, on the night of March 13th. Protesters banged pots, marched with flashlights, and chanted slogans like "Freedom!", "Homeland and Life," and "It's Over!". The protest escalated to the point where the municipal headquarters of the PCC was stormed, with furniture, documents, computers, and Castro symbols being taken out and burned in the streets. At least one young person was reportedly injured by police gunfire, according to independent reports without official confirmation.

The state media that Díaz-Canel celebrated responded to these events with a narrative starkly different from that depicted in videos circulating on social media. The provincial newspaper Invasor, the PCC's organ in Ciego de Ávila, described the incidents as "vandalism" carried out by "a manipulated and guided group," reporting only five arrests and claiming that "everything is calm in Morón." The newspaper attributed the unrest to "the same enemies as always" from abroad.

Authorities cut off internet access in Morón to limit the spread of information about the events, according to independent sources. The organization Cubalex reported at least 14 arrests amid the wave of protests in March 2026.

The demonstrations in Morón are part of a wave that began on March 8th, triggered by the collapse of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, the largest in the country. The failure left 10 out of Cuba's 16 thermoelectric units out of service, affecting 68% of the island with power outages lasting up to 20 hours daily, exacerbating shortages of food, fuel, and basic goods.

The stark contrast between Díaz-Canel's congratulatory tweet and Morón's reality vividly highlights the propagandistic role of Cuban state journalism. Reporters Without Borders ranks Cuba 165th out of 180 countries in its 2025 press freedom index, with a score of 26.03 out of 100, making it the second-worst country in Latin America, only behind Nicaragua. Díaz-Canel himself was included in the organization's list of "press predators" in 2021 following the repression of the July 11th protests that year.

This is not the first time the leader has resorted to such praise. In March 2025, also during Cuban Press Day, he claimed that "the revolutionary press is truly independent" because it does not rely on foreign capital. In April of that same year, he labeled independent Cuban journalists as "mercenaries."