Hundreds of Cuban women, including workers like Leydys de la Cruz, a 57-year-old seamstress, and Georgina Reyes, a 36-year-old IT technician, rallied in Havana Tuesday to decry a U.S. energy embargo and other measures imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. These policies have paralyzed the Caribbean nation, affecting its health system, public transportation, and the production of goods and services, deepening an economic crisis that has plagued the island for the past five years.
The protest was organized by the Federation of Cuban Women, a large organization with close ties to the government and the Communist Party. The rally honored the late Vilma Espín, the federation’s founder, a guerrilla fighter, and Raúl Castro’s wife. Participants gathered at a park commemorating a 19th-century independence patriot, waving Cuban flags, holding signs that read “Down with the Blockade,” and clutching pictures of Fidel Castro and Espín.
Deputy Prime Minister Inés María Chapman, Deputy Foreign Minister Josefina Vidal, and Mariela Castro, daughter of Espín and former President Raúl Castro, led the demonstration. Vidal stated that “This policy of abuse has to stop,” adding that “The Cuban people don’t deserve this. It’s the most comprehensive, all-encompassing, and longest-running system of coercive measures ever imposed against an entire country.” She further asserted, “It subjects us to collective punishment, recognized as such under international law, and we couldn’t fail to be here.”
Imperial Coercion and Collective Punishment
In early January of the same year, the U.S. attacked Venezuela and arrested its then-leader, disrupting critical oil shipments to Cuba. Later that month, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened tariffs against any country that sells or supplies oil to the island. These actions directly contribute to Cuba’s fuel shortage, as the nation produces only 40% of the fuel it consumes.
U.S. President Donald Trump has openly pressured for regime change in Cuba and threatened to take over the island. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, identified as the son of Cuban immigrants, has demanded the release of political prisoners and the implementation of liberal economic reforms, which typically serve to open markets for foreign capital. The U.S. and Cuban governments have confirmed ongoing talks, though the extent of these discussions remains unclear.
The Human Cost of Economic Warfare
The fuel shortage resulting from the U.S. embargo has directly impacted the daily lives of Cuban workers and the dispossessed. The paralysis of public transportation hinders movement, while disruptions to the health system and the production of goods and services impose direct costs on the population. Leydys de la Cruz, the 57-year-old seamstress, articulated the sentiment of many, stating, “I am here fighting for the people of Cuba,” and “I would ask Trump to leave us in peace. The situation is very bad because of the blockade he’s imposed on us.” Georgina Reyes, the 36-year-old IT technician, added, “I would tell him that we don’t hurt anyone. ... Please don’t hurt us.”
Despite the U.S. economic warfare, a Russian tanker carrying 730,000 barrels of crude oil arrived in Cuba last week, marking the island’s first oil shipment in three months. U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly did not object to this shipment, and Russia has since indicated it would send a second tanker, providing a temporary reprieve from the imposed energy scarcity.
Managing Contradictions: The Limits of Reform
Deputy Foreign Minister Josefina Vidal, who now decries the U.S. policy as “collective punishment,” was a key negotiator in a historic rapprochement between Cuba and the United States 12 years ago under the administration of former U.S. President Barack Obama. This historical context reveals the limitations of reform efforts within the existing system, as the current U.S. administration has intensified economic pressures, demonstrating that gains made within existing structures are temporary and reversible, failing to address the foundational imperialist drive for capital accumulation and regime change.