The Army General Raul Castro This Sunday he attended the May Day parade in the Plaza de la Revolución, in Havana, where he praised the president Miguel Diaz-Canel, of whom he said "is working very well."
Castro arrived at the Havana plaza dressed in his military uniform, and at the end of the march he declared to the press that his "heart is full of joy" for the performance of his successor in power.
He stated that he is "like millions of Cubans, waiting for the current (Cuban Communist) Party to continue and for new generations to lead the Party. Especially with the president who is working very well, and quite a bit, more than necessary."
The last time the dictator appeared at a public street celebration was last summer, days after the historic protests that shocked Cuba on July 11 and 12. Later, he did so at the closing of the second plenary session of the PCC Central Committee, but behind closed doors.
Now, at a time of deep political crisis in the country, he left his retirement to give a boost to Díaz-Canel and assured: "We have hope, confidence. We must continue fighting."
Last Thursday he also attended a handkerchief ceremony for first grade children, where he placed the badge on the grandson of the current ruler, one of his granddaughters and the daughter of former spy Gerardo Hernández and Adriana Pérez O'Connor, both students of the same school, in the elitist Siboney neighborhood, in the Playa municipality.
Castro's return to the Cuban public scene seems to respond, as happened after 11J, to a moment of maximum tension on the island due to the economic crisis and the loss of popularity of Díaz-Canel, which became more notable after the aforementioned anti-government demonstrations.
On Wednesday, Díaz-Canel's invitation to the Cuban people to participate this Sunday in the marches throughout the country, which were always presumed to be massive, but which increasingly manage to attract fewer people, amidst popular discontent and general shortages, transcended.
The call came in the midst of a deep economic, social and political crisis, marked by the imprisonment of more than 1,140 people for protesting last year, and the increase in repression against activists and opponents of the regime. Likewise, due to the regime's fear of the open refusal of several Cuban workers to attend the march.
This time the regime threatened several sectors of the country, including medicine. On Saturday it emerged that in some Havana polyclinics threatened doctors with taking away a food module that will be sold on Tuesday if they did not attend the call.
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