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Cuba protests: Internet sheds light on anger - until it goes dark
BBCFor several hours on Sunday, crowds of angry Cubans took to the streets to protest against the Communist government. They also took to social media, where they not only shared their discontent but tried to galvanise supporters.
The demonstrations, the biggest in decades, were a rare show of dissent in a country where unauthorised public gatherings are illegal.
There was no formal organiser of the rallies, and people found out about where they were happening on online networks. The live broadcast on Facebook of a gathering in San Antonio de los Baños, near the capital Havana, was seen as the starting point for protests that spread quickly across the island.
Until the internet was cut off.
Internet access in Cuba is something relatively new. Access to mobile internet was introduced in December 2018, when many gained the ability to consume and share independent news in a country where almost all traditional media are run by the state.
The demonstrations, the biggest in decades, were a rare show of dissent in a country where unauthorised public gatherings are illegal.
There was no formal organiser of the rallies, and people found out about where they were happening on online networks. The live broadcast on Facebook of a gathering in San Antonio de los Baños, near the capital Havana, was seen as the starting point for protests that spread quickly across the island.
Until the internet was cut off.
Internet access in Cuba is something relatively new. Access to mobile internet was introduced in December 2018, when many gained the ability to consume and share independent news in a country where almost all traditional media are run by the state.
