Cuba Protests: YouTuber Dina Stars Taken Away By Cops During Live Interview

Cuba's communist regime has cracked down hard on popular protests that have swept the country, deploying elite troops and assaulting and arresting people involved in the protests. While most of that is known to the world only through social media, the recent detention of YouTuber Dina Stars happened in full public view — she was on a live television interview when government agents knocked on her door.

Dina Stars, whose real name is Dina Fernandez, was being interviewed by Spanish broadcaster Canal 4 about the biggest people's uprising in three decades in Cuba when the authorities came for her, reports CNN.

The report said that Fernandez interrupted the interview, saying "the state's security forces are here. I have to go." She then goes off-camera, after handing over the computer to a friend. Male voices could be heard in the background, though it is not clear what is being said.

Fernandez returns in a few moments and tells the interviewer that she has been asked to "go with the police officers." She added that the Cuban government is now responsible for her whereabouts.

"I hold the government responsible for anything that could happen to me. I have to go," adds Fernandez. On whether she is being detained, Fernandez responds, "I don't know. They told me to come along with them." The interviewer further asks her whether she will be going alone, to which Fernandez responds that her friends will follow her.

No security personnel were seen in the video. There was no official response from the Cuban authorities.

Meanwhile, Cuba continued to be on the boil as widespread protests spilled on to streets, as an acute shortage of food and medicines gripped the country. Cuba is battling a grave economic crisis aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic and U.S. sanctions.

Thousands joined the march against the island's Communist government as security forces continued their crackdown by beating up, detaining, and pepper-spraying people. Though the Cuban government has not said how many people were arrested or injured so far, reports say over 100 are detained or are missing.

According to CNN, the city of San Antonio de Los Banos saw hundreds taking to the streets after nearly a week of electricity cuts during the sweltering July heat. "Everyone was in the streets," CNN quoted a resident. "They have gone six days with only 12 hours of power each day. That was one of the things that blew this up," he added.

Meanwhile, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez has suggested that a military action to overthrow the Communist regime in Cuba "should be on the table." During an interview with Fox News, Suarez said "what should be being contemplated right now is a coalition of potential military action in Cuba." Suarez's father Xavier Suarez was the first Cuban-born mayor of Miami.

When quizzed by Fox News host Martha MacCallum whether he was suggesting airstrikes in Cuba, Suarez said, "What I’m suggesting is that that option is one that has to be explored and cannot be just simply discarded as an option that is not on the table."

However, he later denied explicitly calling for Cuba to be bombed.