Why Cubans took to the streets in all-but-unheard-of protests

Protesters across Cuba shouted ‘freedom’ and ‘we are not afraid’ at rare protests on Sunday. Here’s why.

Havana, Cuba – By Monday morning the streets of the Havana neighbourhood of 10 de Octubre were cleared. The only sign of the previous night’s violence were the elderly men in ragged work clothes sweeping the last of the dust from the road’s surface, leaving only splotches of grey where thrown bricks had fallen. And yet this street, heading south towards the outskirts of Havana towards the beautiful Church of Jesus del Monte perched on a hilltop, was the site of all-but-unheard-of protests in the Cuban capital on Sunday.