Angry over riots on the Havana waterfront, Cuban President Fidel Castro on Friday threatened to let Cubans leave without restriction for the first time since the 1980 Mariel refugee exodus.
Castro said that unless the United States stops encouraging people to flee Cuba by sea, "we will stop blocking the departure of those who want to leave the country.""We cannot continue to guard the coasts of the United States," he said.
Castro toured the waterfront and hotel zone, scene of rare violence Friday in which thousands of Communist Party militants clashed with protesters who also looted some shops and dollar-only stores.
The riots followed at least three hijackings in recent days of ferryboats that normally ply Havana's closed harbor by Cubans seeking to flee to the United States. Castro said hijackers killed two policemen Thursday night.
In remarks carried by the government's Prensa Latina news agency, Castro accused U.S.-based radio stations of inspiring the departures and said, "the government of the United States has a great responsibility in this."
He appeared to be threatening a renewal of the 1980 Mariel exodus, when Cuba dropped all restrictions on departures and 120,000 people fled to the United States within a few months, causing near panic among U.S. officials.
Cuba blames the United States for limiting legal visas for Cubans while granting asylum to any who risk their lives by fleeing illegally.
"They continue to encourage illegal exits," Castro said. "They do not permit them legally, but they try to promote all kinds of disorder."
Castro said the current frenzy started with erroneous U.S. reports of a July 13 sinking of a tugboat. Exile groups in the United States claimed Cuban officials purposely sank the boat of fleeing exiles, killing 40 people.
The Cuban government says the 115-year-old tug was damaged by an accidental bump and that 32 died.
The Mexican news agency Notimex said Friday's violence apparently began when police enforced security measures to stop people from stealing boats to flee.
Reporters said they heard sounds like gunshots and Notimex said some people apparently were arrested. There were no official reports of injuries or arrests.
Prensa Latina said stores and hotels also were attacked and "thousands of Havana workers entered the streets to confront the provocateurs and show their support for the revolution."
Many Cubans, struggling on skimpy rations, resent the dollar-only stores in some luxury hotels where even soap and simple foods can be too expensive for most Cubans.
Castro hinted that any further protests would be confronted by the so-called "rapid action brigades" organized by local party committees.
"I believe that for this battle, the masses must be unleashed, because they (protesters) fear the masses," Castro said.
A Cuban reporter reached by telephone said several hundred people were involved and the clashes involved sticks and stones.
In Washington, a State Department official said a crowd estimated at 20,000 to 30,000 assembled at about 2 p.m. near the ferry dock in Havana, attracted by rumors that another ferry was being diverted northward.