The Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez convened a new People's Fighting March this Friday as part of the official events honoring the 32 Cuban military personnel who passed away in Venezuela.
In a message posted on X, the leader urged to "sing the Anthem to the heroes" and to "thank them for their courage," and ended his message with a warning: "so that those who still do not consider us get to know us better."
The walk began at 7:30 am from the Anti-Imperialist Tribune José Martí to G Street.
The call comes at a time of high tension between Cuba and the United States, following the military operation in Caracas that resulted in the ousting of Nicolás Maduro, during which Cuban personnel were killed.
In that context, the regime seeks to project strength, internal cohesion, and support from the Army, using public mobilization as a political showcase both domestically and internationally.
Messages were disseminated by the Ministry of Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR) on Facebook that reinforce this narrative, stating that "thousands of Cubans" attended the march.
"The members of the FAR and the MININT in olive green, standing firm with the people," the text emphasizes, alongside a video showing that the uniformed personnel are a notable majority among those advancing along the Malecón Avenue.
The march takes place a day after the tribute to the soldiers who died in Venezuela, an event that also included workers, students, and more personnel.
The official coverage repeatedly insists that the people's participation is voluntary, highlighting that this is not coincidental in a country undergoing a deep crisis: prolonged blackouts, shortages of food and medicine, inflation, and widespread social unrest.
In that scenario, the government needs to showcase images of popular support and unity.
Beyond the epic tone of the speeches, there is a point that the propaganda omits: the fallen military personnel were in Caracas protecting a foreign regime, that of Nicolás Maduro, not defending a national cause or a humanitarian emergency.
The official narrative speaks of "heroism" and "homeland," but the facts place those forces in roles related to the security of the Venezuelan political power.
The prior deployment and staging
After years of public silence regarding the military presence in Venezuela, the regime began receiving the remains of the 32 deceased on Thursday in Havana.
The tributes were carefully organized by the State and replicated in various locations across the country. The scenes broadcast by the official media showed a funeral procession escorted by motorized troops, coffins draped with the Cuban flag traveling along main avenues, honor guards, and ceremonies at military venues.
The first act took place on the runway of José Martí International Airport. From there, the coffins were transported to the MINFAR headquarters, where they were lined up beneath portraits and floral tributes, guarded by honor troops.
In the images, the presence of family members was almost invisible. There were predominantly uniformed military personnel, cadets, officials, workers from ministries and state-owned enterprises, airport employees, and groups of civilians mobilized by institutions, many holding flags in their hands.
They did not seem like spontaneous crowds, but rather organized groups to accompany a political event more than an intimate mourning.
The official narrative insists on the idea of "fallen in combat," without explaining why for years the government itself denied the presence of Cuban soldiers in Venezuela and did not publicly report on these deaths.
However, the testimonies broadcast by state television in recent days, including that of an injured colonel from the operation, confirm that there were Cuban officials directly involved in security tasks for the Venezuelan government.
March, message, and context
The March of the Combatant People appears as a gesture of unity and determination. However, in the current context, it serves as a political message: a challenge towards Washington and a signal of discipline and alignment internally.
The image of uniformed personnel advancing along the Malecón reinforces the idea of a unified country around the government and its Armed Forces.
The insistence on the "voluntariness" of assistance and the epic of sacrifice seeks to counteract the loss of trust that the State faces. In a moment of daily precariousness for millions of Cubans, the regime relies on symbolism, anthems, and marches to uphold its narrative.
Meanwhile, key questions remain unanswered: why there were Cuban military personnel in Caracas, under what agreements, with what mandate, and at what human cost. The March of the Fighting People, rather than resolving these questions, brings them back to the forefront.
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