'Our families are starving,' say Cuban Londoners watching unrest back home

London, Ont., resident Inima Luque Tamayohas been losing sleep worrying about friends and family back home in Cuba, where peoplehave been protesting food shortages, and internet and electricity blackouts.

"People inCuba wantfreedom. They want democracy. They want respect," said Tamayo, 33."They want a decent wage and an opportunity to fulfil their dreams and for the kids to have a better future.

"People are ready for a change. But right now there's a lot of unrest. There's a lot of fear."

Poverty and the pandemic have converged in Cuba, creating unbearable circumstances in the island nation, prompting thousands of people last weekto take to the streets in Havana demanding change.

Tamayomoved to Canada at age 11, and still has many friends and family in the Caribbean nation. In recent days, she's been organizing and attending rallies in London to raise awareness.

"There is no medication or equipment. My cousin, she's going to be giving birth in September and she was at the women's hospitalfor a week and a half, and they had to bring theirown syringes and needles from home."

"And she had to bring her own snacks because the hospitals don't have enough food."

Her family is often without electricity for six to 12 hours a day, she said.

As well,the government is cracking down on protesters, said Tamayo.

"The streets are full of military and police," she said.

"People are scared. People are being murdered and people have disappeared. Men are being beat up. They're being shot."

Crushing poverty, coronavirus prompt protests in Cuba

3 years ago

Duration 1:05

In a rare show of defiance, thousands of Cubans flocked to the streets in several cities on Sunday with bitter complaints about poverty and rousing demands for freedom.

"Our families are starving,"said another London resident, KarenSandoval-Santana, 23, whose mother is Cuban, and whosegrandmother still lives there and doesn't have a clear understanding of what's happening.

"The newsthey see on TV is whatever the government wants the people to think," Sandoval-Santana said.

"They're also very reluctant to tell us about the violence on the phone because they're afraid the phones are being tapped."

Sandoval-Santana is hopeful Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will add more international pressure to the growing unrest in Cuba.

"I really hope that Justin Trudeau will not only encourage Canadians to spread more awareness, but himself really speaks out on his beliefs, on democracy and freedom of expression, and why it's so important for everyone in the world to have it, not just Canadians, because so many of our families are down there."