A standoff began Sunday between Cuba’s communist-run government and young activists who have been calling for a peaceful march for change Monday.
State security since early Sunday has surrounded the home of Yunior García, an artist who has emerged as one of the country’s leading activists and called for islandwide protests Monday. Foreign credentialed media were kept several hundred feet away.
García, 39, an artist and playwright, had said he would march alone, dressed in white and holding a white rose, at 3 p.m. Sunday to represent those who wouldn’t be able to Monday, but he was prevented from doing so. Instead, he showed the white rose, a symbol of peace, out his window.
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Outside García’s building, pro-government Cubans gathered since the morning shouting pro-Fidel Castro chants with music and dancing, scenes that were tweeted by activists. They also hung a giant Cuban flag over part of the building García lives in, partly blocking his window. He put a sign outside his house that said, "Mi casa está bloqueada" ("my house is blocked").
Read the full story at NBCNews.com.
