Just like Díaz-Canel on July 11, when he unleashed the regime's forces against predominantly peaceful protesters, it seems that someone has given the green light for the trolls to spring into action… but on social media. "The combat order against Sandro Castro has been issued. To the networks, revolutionary trolls!" And said, so done.
In less than 48 hours, they have rushed out in droves, perfectly coordinated, to "destroy" the "poor Sandro."
Columns, posts, direct messages, and even sermons from ideological trenches began pouring in on the Commander’s grandson. He was accused of being frivolous, idiotic, a traitor, a provocateur. Of degrading his grandfather's image, offending the people, mocking the blackouts. The message was clear: Sandro is a dangerous symbol and he must be neutralized.
But why now? And why just him?
Sandro is not the problem. He is the alibi.
Sandro Castro is an easy target. He has no charges against him. He holds no power. He is not involved in politics. He represents nothing institutional beyond a surname. He is not an official, nor a military officer, nor a diplomat. He has no useful contacts. All he has is a phone, followers, and a surname that made him go viral. He is flamboyant, outspoken, and an exhibitionist. He took to the internet showcasing his Audi, pouring whiskey, and throwing jabs at the UNE while the entire country suffered blackouts.
It is, indeed, a grotesque symbol of privilege... but not the only one. It serves well as a scapegoat.
El Necio wrote on social media: "It is very hard and unfair to see how he struts around in front of our noses and does whatever he wants, while no political authority in this country dares to tell him that this is not a country of surnames or castes, but a people with historical consciousness, proudly led by the dignity of Fidel and Raúl." In which country does El Necio live that he does not realize this is indeed a country of castes? Where has he been for the past 30 years? Cuba has been precisely a system of surnames, of untouchable lineages, of heirs who live in mansions and yachts while the people survive. There is not only a caste; there is immunity for that caste. What is truly hard and unfair is to continue pretending that it doesn’t exist.
They sacrifice Sandro because he doesn’t matter, because his burning serves to save the rest.
While Sandro is publicly torn apart, other members of the Castro family live a life of even more scandalous luxury, but are surrounded by silence. There are no columns from the fool, nor posts by Henry Omar or Ernesto Limia, nor ideological reflections in Cubadebate. No one thinks to write a single article questioning any of the heirs of the Castro lineage. Those who criticize Sandro today lack courage and principles; they remain silent in the face of the true privileged in the system because they know that touching them would mean crossing a line that power does not allow.
Sandro, not being formally linked to the apparatus of the State, serves as a symbolic victim.
None criticized the vacation of Antonio Castro on yachts in the Greek islands, hitting photographers as if he were a sheikh. They also did not raise their voices about the luxury mansion in Miramar owned by Vilma Rodríguez (Castro's granddaughter), nor said a word about Mariela's mansion renovated with complete impunity. No one mentions the privileged life of Raúl Guillermo “El Cangrejo” amidst parties, yachts, and models. Not even the stepson of Diaz-Canel and his lavish life in Spain are mentioned, who is not Castro, but is the stepson of Cuba's "president." All of them are invisible in critical discourses because they are shielded.
Sandro is sacrificed because it doesn’t matter; his burning serves to save the others.
Sandro is not the problem. He is the scapegoat. The attack against him serves to channel public anger towards a target devoid of institutional weight, to save the rest of the family while preserving the mystique of the name, and to simulate self-criticism while protecting those who actually hold power. The journalists who attack him are not being brave; they are tools of the system. They lash out at Sandro because he has no defense, and in doing so, they reinforce the protection of the elite.
Cuba is not a country of equals. It never has been. But now they don't even pretend otherwise. There is a family elite, hereditary and shielded. There are surnames that cannot be touched. There are real estate, economic, symbolic, and political privileges. And there is a servile press that only dares to take on the current clumsy Sandro while remaining silent before the Castros that truly matter. So, when you see one of these "revolutionary critics" pointing at Sandro with the fiery finger of morality, do not be deceived: they are not breaking away from the elite. They are protecting it.
Filed under:
Opinion article: Las declaraciones y opiniones expresadas en este artículo son de exclusiva responsabilidad de su autor y no representan necesariamente el punto de vista de CiberCuba.
