Who are the “black berets” of the Cuban dictatorship, the special brigade prepared to suppress the demonstrators

Faced with the massive demonstrations that broke out this Sunday in several Cuban cities, the Castro regime was quick to respond with repression to push back the demonstrators and has already deployed the elite group of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) of Cuba known under the name of “los beinas black”, a shock squad with which the dictatorship usually applies to dissidents in the streets.

Officially, it is the Special National Brigade (BEN) of the Home Office, but they are known for their characteristic dark cap.

This is not the Black Wasps, whose training is focused on a possible offensive off the island. In the case of BEN, it is governed by decrees of the Ministry of the Interior. They are quickly identified by their black uniforms and their official mission is to deal with counterterrorism activities and commando actions against complex criminals or serious actions against citizens.

Last year, before the 40th anniversary of its creation, Cuban Television published a report and reminded citizens of its capabilities and role in “In the face of counter-revolutionary, criminal and anti-social activities.”

In what has been interpreted as a clear warning to opponents who have expressed their displeasure, the video has also served as a show of force and a repressive disposition. “We are training to defend the Revolution and to defend our conquests”, Major Adalberto Soriano Vidal speaks in the video.

In addition, the propaganda presented the troops as “a professional technical force with high political and ideological values”.

Thousands of Cubans took to the streets this Sunday in various towns on the island to protest against the dictatorship, shouting “freedom!”, In an unprecedented day that resulted in hundreds of arrests and clashes after Miguel Díaz-Canel urged his supporters to come out to confront the protesters.

Usually, the police, often in civilian clothes, are sufficient to suppress protests. In his first message to the crisis, Díaz-Canel urged his supporters to take to the streets ready for “combat”.

However, the deployment of the black berets can be both an intimidating message and an acknowledgment that the scale of the protests has reached levels not seen in decades.

The formidable armed group was seen marching through the streets of the island, after the dictatorship started cutting off the Internet and electricity in some cities across the country, in an attempt to prevent the dissemination of the actions of officials who would try to repel the historic protests that began to spread overnight.

“They just told me from San Antonio that there is a gigantic brigade of black berets, they beat and fire tear gas, that the city does not give in. They have cut the power and they are without internet so they cannot publish the testimony of what is happening at the moment, ”said activist Tania Bruguera.

The United States government has said it is “very concerned” by calls for “combat” by President Díaz-Canel and the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, has expressed condemnation Cuba’s “dictatorial regime”.

For their part, the leaders in exile, grouped within the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance, stressed that the departure of the Castro regime “is not negotiable” and asked the Cuban people to continue in the streets because it is is the only way to achieve its goal. .

KEEP READING: