A spokesman for the Cuban regime attacks Sandro Castro: "He must be disregarded."

The journalist from Sancti Spíritus, Pedro Jorge Velázquez, breaks the silence of the official press and launches a campaign against Fidel Castro's grandson, whom he accuses of being "a vain bourgeois."

Sandor Valdés / Facebook -Pedro Jorge Velázquez / Facebook © Sandro Castro junto al comunista Pedro Jorge Velázquez.
Sandor Valdés / Facebook - Pedro Jorge Velázquez / FacebookPhoto © Sandro Castro alongside the communist Pedro Jorge Velázquez.

The regime spokesperson Pedro Jorge Velázquez has lashed out this Wednesday at Fidel Castro's grandson, Sandro Castro, who, amidst the wave of blackouts and the severe economic and migration crisis in Cuba, has decided that this is the right time to celebrate his birthday in grand style in Havana, "like a young revolutionary."

In a Facebook post, journalist Pedro Jorge Velázquez, a graduate from Las Villas, breaks the silence imposed by official media to declare that "Sandro Castro should be despised." In his view, the Castro protégé is "at the opposite end of what the Revolution stands for," as if the luxurious lifestyles of Mariela and Antonio Castro in Havana, and of Díaz-Canel’s stepson, Manuel Anido Cuesta, in Madrid, were in harmony with Fidel Castro's decidedly non-ascetic way of life.

In an act of party-class elitism, spokesperson Pedro Jorge Velázquez expelled Sandro Castro from the elite circle of Cuban communists. "He is not one of us," he wrote, immediately admitting that his way of life is distant from theirs, subtly referencing the 89% of Cuban families living in extreme poverty. For this spokesperson of the PCC, Fidel Castro's grandson is a "vain bourgeois."

Pedro Jorge Velázquez, a resident of Sancti Spíritus and a host of El Necio (a propaganda project of the regime), also argues that what bothers Miami, in reference to the thousands of Cubans who have had to flee poverty and/or the political police's persecution on the Island, is not that Sandro Castro is who he is, but that he bears the surname of his grandfather, the dictator Fidel Castro.

A surname that turns out to be Miami wanting to cause harm, and not Sandro Castro, with his usual exhibitionism on social media; with his Mercedes Benz, his afternoons by the pool, his bar, and now his birthday.

And it is at this point that El Necio decides to speak on behalf of all the PCC militants. "We, the communists, the patriots, must disdain the way this new bourgeoisie presents itself, regardless of who it is or what name it bears. It's not about names, but about ideas," says the spokesperson, claiming the title of patriot, which conservative parties in Europe, such as VOX in Spain and Fidesz led by Viktor Orbán, also use.

At this point, the Spirituan wrapped himself in the logo of the PCC and urged his cyber-fighter followers to disregard Sandro Castro "with unity and popular strength," referring to the few that must remain in each Cuban home after hours and hours of blackouts.

What Sandro Castro is doing would not be understood by his grandfather, he said, probably convinced that Fidel Castro’s fondness for the Rolex brand does not define his tastes or purchasing power, although we could say it distances him from the essence of his speeches.

In the comments on this post, there is a wide range of opinions. Some believe that if Fidel Castro were to rise from the dead, he would be upset by his grandson's financial stability, while others question where the initial investment came from for the bar that Sandro Castro runs in Havana, which supports the luxurious lifestyle of the grandson in a country that is undergoing a rapid process of "haitinization."

The post from El Necio also served as an opportunity for Stalinist profiles to attack the MIPYMES, as if 65 years of Cuban hardships had not demonstrated that communists mistake their enemy on the Island: the fight should be against poverty and double standards, not against wealth.

This entire controversy originates from the celebration of Sandro Castro's birthday at his bar in Vedado (23, between E and F). A white dress code is required for entry. As the promotional poster states: the event of the year amidst Díaz-Canel's blackouts.

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Tania Costa

(La Habana, 1973) lives in Spain. She has directed the Spanish newspaper El Faro de Melilla and FaroTV Melilla. She was the head of the Murcia edition of 20 minutos and served as a Communication advisor for the Vice Presidency of the Government of Murcia (Spain).