Havana riots in 1994

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The unrest in Havana in 1994 , also known as the Maleconazo or Habanazo , was the first major popular uprising in Cuba since the victory of the revolution in 1959. On August 5, 1994, thousands of people gathered in the capital, Havana , to fight against the difficult living conditions to protest the so-called periodo especial after the collapse of the Eastern Bloc , which reached its lowest point around this summer of 1994.

In those days of the summer of 1994 there were numerous attempts in Havana to hijack ships in order to flee Cuba and get to Florida . On July 13 of that year, the tug "13 de Marzo" with around 70 people on board was sunk by the Cuban Navy when it was kidnapped and headed for the USA. 40 people were killed. A ferry hijacked on August 3rd was seized by the US Coast Guard . The passengers were offered asylum in the United States . 120 accepted, the rest were brought back to Cuba by ferry.

On this August 5th, another ferry that was commuting across Havana Bay was hijacked. It spread rapidly rumors, including through from Miami sending Cuban exile propaganda station Radio Martí vigorously stoked about other abductions. Thousands of Cubans, partly out of curiosity, partly to catch such a transfer to Florida, were lured and first filled the port facilities, then later the whole Malecón .

This spontaneous, mass concentration of dissatisfied people led to a new awareness of collective strength. For the first time, chants like “¡Cuba sí, Castro no!” (Cuba yes, Castro no!) Or “¡Libertad, libertad!” (Freedom, freedom) could be heard. Hotel complexes and foreign exchange shops were also looted. Police officers were also attacked, injured and, in one case, even killed.

While Defense Minister Raúl Castro demanded the use of the military , Fidel , who was still held in high regard by the Cuban population because of his charisma , appeared in person to calm the situation on the ground. He urged the protesters to go home and promised that anyone who wanted to leave the country could do so. Chants like “¡Viva Fidel” or “¡Esta calle es de Fidel!” - “This street belongs to Fidel!” Could be heard. The police also did not openly appear to quell the riot. Instead, the government sent paramilitary labor brigades, so-called contigentes , which dealt quite brutally with the insurgents.

Due to the lack of confrontation with state power and the personal appearance of the revolutionary leader, the situation de-escalated on the same day. The Cuban government condemned the riot as the work of foreign provocateurs and anti-social groups.

Balsero crisis

As a result of this event, the border protection on the part of Cuba was lifted. Castro repeatedly used the valve of mass emigration to calm the situation. Again since the Mariel boat crisis in 1980, thousands of Cubans fled with self-built boats (Spanish: balsa - raft) across the sea towards Florida, which went down in history as the Balsero crisis (rafting crisis). According to press reports, more than 33,000 Cubans managed to escape in the month before the border was closed again by Cuba. In view of the mass influx of Cuban refugees in Florida, which the USA could hardly manage, and the numerous deaths in unsuccessful escape attempts, US President Bill Clinton announced on August 19, 1994 the suspension of the previous practice, according to which all Cuban refugees in the USA were automatically granted asylum. The boat refugees picked up at sea have since been taken by the US Coast Guard to specially set up reception centers at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay , from where they were only allowed to enter the USA after a case-by-case examination and months of waiting. Subsequently, the governments of the two states entered into negotiations, which on September 9, 1994 resulted in an agreement on controlled emigration. The US pledged to issue at least 20,000 visas for legal immigration annually . In May 1995 the so-called wet foot dry foot policy was set up. This means that a Cuban refugee who reaches US-American soil can stay in the US, whereas someone who is attacked in the open sea must return to Cuba.

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Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Bernd Wulffen : Cuba in transition , Christoph Links Verlag, 2008, page 66
  2. ↑ a b Hans-Jürgen Burchardt , The Long Farewell to a Myth , Schmetterling Verlag 1996, p. 146 ff.
  3. ↑ Michael Zeuske , Insel der Extremes - Kuba im 20. Jahrhundert , Rotpunktverlag, 2004, page 258