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The Cuban regime asserted that the March of the Fighting People, held this Friday in Havana, brought together half a million people.
This statement was shared by Roberto Morales Ojeda, Secretary of Organization of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, who declared in a tweet that the mobilization was a "strong demonstration" of the Cuban people's demand against the U.S. "blockade" and its listing as a state sponsor of terrorism.
However, the figure has been strongly challenged by citizens and analysts, who have accused the regime of manipulating the data and coercing attendance at the march.
"The march of half a million people in Havana and the various activities carried out in the rest of the territories were a powerful demonstration of the Cuban people's demand: 'Lift the blockade and take us off the list!'", tweeted Morales Ojeda, accompanying the message with carefully selected images.
Immediately, social media was flooded with videos and testimonies that contradict the official version. Users on X, previously known as Twitter, dismantled the official narrative using analytical tools and visual comparisons.
The account Contexto Cubano, known for its critical analysis of regime information, stated that the actual participation was around 14,071 people, based on an aerial video of the march. "The estimate shows around 14,071 participants. What’s the result? #ItWasn'tEvenSandro," the account asserted.
Other users, like @Taoro8, mocked the inconsistency in the government's figures. "There is a slight discrepancy today regarding the number of attendees at yesterday's march of the fighting people. But hey, let's hopefully wait for them to agree among themselves," he wrote sarcastically.
Contradictions in official figures
As @Taoro8 illustrated with screenshots of tweets from official accounts, it was highlighted that the official sources themselves have also contradicted each other regarding the number of attendees.
While the Presidency of Cuba stated that over 500,000 people participated in the march, other regime-affiliated figures, such as Judge Rubén Remigio Ferro, president of the Supreme Court, claimed it was "one million people."
The U.S. activist pro-Cuban regime, Manolo De Los Santos, also inflated the figures, estimating attendance at over 700,000 Cubans.
These discrepancies have further fueled skepticism, as aerial images and analyses conducted by users on social media reveal a very different reality.
Questions about participation
The harshest criticisms focused on the mandatory nature of attendance. User @Claudiagb2019 stated that, although the regime had planned to mobilize half a million people, the reality was quite different. "You expected to 'mobilize (force)' half a million, but there are not even 80,000 people at this march. This circus has confirmed that the 'revolution' is dead," she declared.
User @mjorgec1994 highlighted that even with the use of all public transportation, military units, and state workers, the Malecón was not filled. He accompanied his message with an aerial video showing a sparse turnout, far from the numbers claimed by Morales Ojeda.
One of the most widely shared responses came from user @Catv20171, who used images to illustrate the difference between historical marches of 500,000 people and the recent mobilization. "The first image shows a march of 500,000 people from years ago. The second, at most, shows 10,000 people that the march in Canel managed to gather. There’s something scientific called crowd estimation," he commented, providing a clear visual contrast.
Manipulation and popular rejection
The Cuban regime has often been criticized for inflating attendance figures at political events to create an image of popular support. However, distrust in these figures has grown exponentially with the rise of social media and technologies that allow for the debunking of official narratives.
In this context, the march not only reflects the regime's disconnection from the realities faced by the Cuban people but also the widespread rejection of mobilizations that many view as an imposition rather than a genuine expression of support.
The reaction of Cubans on social media leaves no doubt: the official narrative is facing increasing skepticism and a rejection that highlights the population's exhaustion with what they perceive as the regime's promotional tactics.
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