Cuba cancels May Day parade over fuel shortages

Fuel shortages have forced Cuba to cancel Monday’s May Day parade, also known as the International Workers’ Day parade, upending a longstanding tradition.

Normally hundreds of thousands of people would be bussed in from all over the Communist-run island nation and flood into Revolution Square.

This year, instead of teeming with red-clad, flag-waving participants paying homage to the Cuban Revolution and celebrating socialism, Havana’s main square will be devoid of official festivities.

It’s the first time the parade has been canceled for economic-related reasons, according to BBC News. Coronavirus concerns caused its suspension during the pandemic.

Cuban president Miguel Diaz-Canel has said the country is only getting two-thirds of its fuel needs met and that suppliers are falling short on contractual obligations. The country consumes up to 500 or 600 tons daily but is only getting 400.

That has led to days-long gas lines, remote classes at universities and pricey cooking oil, among other trials. Low-grade cooking oil is obtainable, but Cuba does not have the facilities to refine it. Venezuelan imports of higher-quality crude have dropped by 50% in recent years.

International Workers’ Day was first designated in 1889, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. That was changed to Labor Day five years later as then-U.S. President Grover Cleveland sought to distance the commemoration from its socialist origins. Today the U.S. and Canada still celebrate it the first weekend in September.

In Cuba, local celebrations may still go on Monday.