Maleconazo

The August 1994 uprising or Maleconazo uprising was a protest against government policies in Cuba. It occurred on August 5, 1994.[1]

Maleconazo
Part of the Special Period
Protesters in the streets
DateAugust 5, 1994
Location
Havana, Cuba
Resulted inProtests suppressed by Cuban government
Parties to the civil conflict
Protesters

Events

Background
Main article: Special Period

Cuba had fallen into an economic crisis because of the recent collapse of the Soviet Union and old American embargo. Many citizens began to try to leave the country. Some had even begun to steal boats to flee. The clash began as police began securing boats to prevent theft.[2]

Riot

Protesters' rage caused by the Special Period was vented into vandalism and violence, Many hotels were damaged, the police and Communist party members were called in to disperse the crowd.[3] Hundreds of protesters took to streets in Havana, some chanting "Libertad!" (Spanish for "freedom!"). The police eventually dispersed them all.[4]

Aftermath
Main article: 1994 Cuban rafter crisis

After the protests many Cubans attempted to flee the island. More than 35,000 left, many using rafts to float off the island to the United States. The U.S. president Bill Clinton enacted the wet foot dry foot policy as a reaction to the exodus. Castro came to support the exodus, viewing those who left as counterrevolutionaries.[5]

References
  1. Cuban Resistance Day- 15th Anniversary of the August 5th, 1994 Maleconazo Freedom Uprising Archived October 29, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Protesters Battle Police in Havana; Castro Warns U.S." New York Times. 1994.
  3. "En fotos: a 20 años del "Maleconazo" en Cuba". BBC. 5 August 2014.
  4. Carl Gershman and Orlando Gutierrez (January 2009). "Can Cuba Change?" (PDF). Journal of Democracy. 20 (1). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-09-18. Retrieved 2009-08-25.
  5. "Uprising on Havana's Malecón 20 years ago set off exodus". Miami Herald. 4 August 2014.
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