In a further display of fortitude and commitment to the legacy of their comrades, more than 500,000 Havana residents gathered at the Anti-Imperialist Tribune to participate in the march of the fighting people, demanding justice for the 32 Cuban combatants killed in Venezuela during an attack by U.S. forces.
Addressing the assembled compatriots, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, framed the example of their return to the homeland yesterday as a demonstration of the courage and patriotic spirit that distinguish the nation.
The Cuban president recalled the warning of the Heroic Guerrilla Ernesto “Che” Guevara, who said that imperialism could not be trusted, and that in the face of the fascist threat looming over the continent from the northern neighbor, they must remain true to the paradigms of solidarity and integration that they so skillfully defended on Bolivarian soil.
Díaz-Canel reiterated the courage and character of the Cubans who, in this way, honored the foundations of a brotherhood established since the time of Simón Bolívar, proclaimed by the National Hero José Martí, and embodied in the friendship of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz and Hugo Chávez Frías, a bond that guides the sentiments of many in both nations.
Giving one’s own blood and even one’s life might surprise others, but not the Cubans, and he pointed out that they, armed only with their morale and loyalty, fought to the death despite being outnumbered and outgunned.
In a world where economic, technological, and financial power seems to dominate everything, 32 brave Cubans offered their lives in a fierce battle, fighting to the last bullet, to their last breath, becoming the sword and shield of the people against the advance of fascism, he emphasized.
Proof of this unyielding will, he pointed to the recent statements by US President Donald Trump, who cynically acknowledged the failure of maximum pressure measures against the island and that entering and destroying it is the only option to extinguish the resistance and sovereignty of the largest of the Antilles.
His current threats are reminiscent of those of previous administrations; they can kidnap millions or wipe us off the map, and the ghost of this small archipelago, which they will have to pulverize to subdue it, will still haunt them, he affirmed.
Likewise, the head of state affirmed that in the face of the ruthless destruction and massacre perpetrated by a country that has never promoted hatred against others, there is no possibility of surrender or capitulation, and the commitment to always strive for peace does not diminish the bravery and readiness to fight, with unity as our principal weapon.
“To the 32, thank you for your courage and example. Cuba is made up of millions, a people ready to fight with the same unity and ferocity as the 32 combatants. Let us march united, guided by their example, and swear once more: ‘Homeland or Death!’” “We will prevail!” he concluded.
Also attending the march were Rebel Army Commander José Ramón Machado Ventura, members of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, and other representatives of the political force, the government, its structures in the province, as well as mass, social, and student organizations, along with various sectors of society.
With this action, Cuba once again denounces the imperialist aggressions carried out by the United States government against Latin America and the Caribbean, while reaffirming that the largest of the Antilles will not yield to its demands, regardless of Washington’s threats and blackmail.
IMAGE CREDIT: José Manuel Lapeira Casas / Photos: Luis Jiménez Echevarría Omara
