[50][51] The economic situation has been exacerbated by sanctions,[52] and some observers have blamed inefficiencies of Cuba's Soviet style-centrally planned economy, and a lack of reforms that other Communist states have taken.

[3] According to Lillian Guerra, professor of Cuban history at the University of Florida, the food shortages and high prices were the result of government spending money on building hotels and tourists facilities.

[47][56] Promised economic reforms, which according to NBC News' Carmen Sesin were needed and were another cause of discontent alongside the embargo, did not materialize, in part because of the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic according to the Cuban government.

[41][55] According to international trackers, at the time the protests had broken out, Cuba had administered 64.3 doses per 100 people, the 6th highest rate in Latin America, and about 15% of the Cuban population was fully vaccinated.

"[64] Due to the evolving crises, a social media campaign using the hashtags SOSCUBA and SOSMATANZAS was initiated to collect money, medical materials, food, and other supplies to be sent to Cuba.

[59] Various international figures such as Don Omar, Ricardo Montaner, Alejandro Sanz, Nicky Jam, J Balvin, Daddy Yankee, Becky G, and Mia Khalifa joined the request.

[75] Writing in Slate, Baruch College professor Ted Henken suggested that the Cuban demonstrators' use of the Internet to mobilize and publicize the protests showed "that the Internet can still be a force for democracy",[nb 7] and wrote that "in authoritarian contexts like Cuba, where the government has long since monopolized the mass media and transformed journalism into political propaganda, access to unfiltered channels of information and communication can indeed shift the balance of power in small but powerful ways.

[89][90][91] Internet watchdog NetBlocks reported that social media platforms in Cuba were censored beginning on 12 July 2021, although virtual private networks were able to bypass government blockages[92] and with a police presence in the streets of Havana.

"[96] A meeting of the top leadership of the Communist Party of Cuba including former First Secretary Raúl Castro was held where the issue of the protests was addressed, releasing a statement that "the provocations orchestrated by counterrevolutionary elements, organized and financed from the United States with destabilizing purposes, were analyzed.

[116][117][118] In response to protesters tired of hardship and wanting change, former Cuban central bank economist Pavel Vidal stated: "There is a lack of credibility over the promised reforms.

[119][120] The web page CiberCuba released a video where allegedly a black beret-wearing group, the Cuban police, break into the house of a demonstrator and fire at him immediately in front of his wife and children, detaining him afterwards.

[122][123] Deputy Minister of the Interior Jesús Manuel Burón Tabit questioned decision-making within the ministry and the Security Council as well as what he called the excessive use of police force to repress the demonstrations;[124] the Cuban government denied that he resigned after his statements.

[125] In order to deal with the shortages, the Cuban Chamber of Commerce lifted customs restrictions that limited imports of hygiene products, medicine and food, which one of the protesters demanded the government should do.

[7] The government announced that it would be improving on the electricity system, of which problems ETECSA did not provide explanation until Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla attribute them to power outages and difficulties with food or transportation.

[2] Earlier on 12 July, as reported by Reuters, Díaz-Canel said that "many protesters were sincere but manipulated by U.S.-orchestrated social media campaigns and 'mercenaries' on the ground, and warned that further 'provocations' would not be tolerated, calling on supporters to confront 'provocations.

"[8] Cuba's Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla claimed to have "irrefutable proof that the majority of those that took part in this (internet) campaign were in the United States and used automated systems to make content go viral, without being penalized by Twitter", which analysts spoken to by Agence France-Presse (AFP) said was "at best an exaggeration" in an article published on 16 July.

[134] In his speech during the rally, Díaz-Canel reiterated that most of blame for the unrest rested on the United States and the embargo, which he described as "the blockade, aggression and terror", as well as the impact of and fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and a social network campaign allegedly spread by dissident Cuban-American groups.

According to Cuban economist Omar Everleny Pérez, the concessions, such as "permits for private entrepreneurs to import goods without going through the state and allowing foreign companies to install retail markets or raising the ceiling for agricultural prices in order to increase supply", were welcome but more was needed.

According to Cuban government officials, "all investigations and detentions stemming from the July 11 protests — which included looting, attacks on police officers and acts of vandalism — have been conducted lawfully."

Independent journalist Maykel Gonzales, who witnessed the detention and mistreatment of a group of protesters by civilian-dressed police officers, told to The New York Times: "[Authorities'] intent was to punish, to do harm.

[139][140] Critics also complained on dealing with outnumbered health centers lacking adequate equipment, medicine, and sanitation; some invited the minister himself to treat the patients personally as physicians do.

[154] Al Jazeera mentioned "frustration with rising prices, falling wages, the United States embargo and the failings of the island's long-standing communist government to address its economic challenges.

[156] Sanctions exacerbated the economic crisis, alongside inefficiencies[16] and "Soviet-style one-party rule" (which Reuters attributed to its detractors),[131] the COVID-19 pandemic,[131] and the collapse of tourism,[157] and "choked the economy" in the Financial Times's words.

[158] According to The Guardian, sanctions and the COVID-19 pandemic led to food shortages and high prices, "sparking one of the biggest such demonstrations in memory",[54] which were also caused by social media and "a younger generation hungry for higher living standards.

"[56] Omar Everleny, a Cuban economist and former University of Havana professor, stated: "The negative result of the protests on July 11 is that hopes the Biden administration would lift at least the Trump-era sanctions were dashed.

But both were expressions of what many suspect is a new wave of Covid-fuelled social and political turbulence that is starting to sweep the region in response to the ravages of a pandemic that has officially killed nearly 1.4 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean.

While the nuances in the U.S. embargo can make it difficult for foreign companies to trade with Cuba, there is no evidence that they can't" [170] USA Today additionally rated the post as "False".

In summation, USA Today added that "the claim that the U.S. "blockade" of Cuba means the island nation can't trade with any country or company is FALSE, based on our research.

[7][8] On 14 July 2021, the BBC reported that on the government news website Cubadebate several readers "laid the blame for the crisis on US sanctions, which have contributed to the island's dire economic situation and shortages."

[181] In São Paulo, Brazil, political parties and social movements staged a protest in favor of the Cuban government and "in defense of sovereignty" in front of the Consulate General of Cuba.