Call for the March of the Combatant People outrages Cubans: "Does that produce food or electricity?"

The recent call by the Cuban government for a "March of the Fighting People" has sparked a wave of criticism and frustration on social media.

Outraged citizens have questioned the usefulness of this mobilization amid a deep economic crisis characterized by blackouts, food shortages, and widespread precariousness.

The comments left on social media regarding the news published this Saturday by CiberCuba reflect a public sentiment that is far from the supposed majority support that the government of Miguel Díaz-Canel claims to have, aided by surveys conducted by the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC)

Resistance and popular rejection

"It's not a march; it's a referendum... It's the highest and clearest way to tell them we do not want them,” said a user who called for reversing the meaning of the march and expressing disapproval of Díaz-Canel's administration through absence from the propaganda event.

"Does that produce food or electricity?" asked another Cuban who, like thousands of others, questions the purpose of these palace maneuvers that aim to entertain the masses and keep them in a state of perpetual mobilization that serves their interests and ambitions for power.

Many pointed out that participation is often driven by job-related threats. "Workplaces pressure employees; if they don't go, there are consequences," recalled one internet user. "They force people to march on an empty stomach just to maintain a facade of support," asserted another.

Her comment was followed by many others that highlighted the absurdity of the situation: “They march and, when they return home, they have no electricity or anything to cook with.” One user recalled the time when “they used to set up food stalls at the marches, but now they don’t even do that anymore.”

"None of those who go will have had breakfast; they will all have dusty skin and gaunt faces," said a Cuban, highlighting the official hypocrisy. "The march of the people... with hunger"; "Let the well-fed march," added others.

Most significant comments

• "It's all a strategy. Then they release photos with thousands of people, and the world believes that the public supports the government."
• "They go with hunger and hopelessness. Only those who are compelled attend that march."
• "A march achieves more than keeping these people in power forever."
• "Anyone who participates in such a spectacle gets the fate they deserve."
• "We all know that this is just a façade for public opinion."
• "These people behave as if they are under the influence of some very powerful drug: an obsession with power and money."
• “Free elections for the people of Cuba, down with the dictatorship.”
• "They have been using the same rhetoric for decades and still haven't learned."
• "We have spent resources and time on marches, neglecting food production while the country remains in ruins."
• "That day should be a genuine protest, not a staged performance for the government."
• "I would prefer to be fired a thousand times rather than go to that march."
• "If everyone marches in silence, as if they were at a wake, it would send a clear message to the government."
• "It is the march of the people... hungry."
• "These calls only measure the fear and submission of the people."
• "We will faint while marching as they have full bellies."
• "With all the privileges they have, isn't there a psychiatrist available to assist them?"
• "These people act as if they were under the influence of some very powerful drug."
• "Clearly, he/she cannot be of sound mind."
• "Let's march, we have to march in search of food for our families."

A call to action

The call for this march seems to have ignited an even more visible spark of discontent. Cubans are demanding real solutions to their problems: food, electricity, and respect for their fundamental rights.

Social media has become a space where people express their frustration and demand change. The mass mobilization that the government anticipated could turn into a scenario of peaceful protest if citizens manage to organize around a common message: no more pretense.