On February 28, Madrid was the scene of a protest by Cuban exiles as part of the International Day of Demanding Freedom and denouncing the regime in Havana, an event that was held simultaneously in several cities around the world.
The mobilization in the Spanish capital brought together members of the diaspora and activists who demanded the end of the dictatorship and the start of a definitive democratic transition on the island, as highlighted by the profile on Facebook Ciudadanía y Libertad.
During the gathering, they reiterated demands for the release of political prisoners, respect for human rights, and the opening of genuine spaces for citizen participation.
The event was led by Cubans in exile and networks of activists, who organized coordinated protests in Europe, North America, and Latin America to highlight the political, economic, and social crisis facing the country.
Concentrations were announced in Spain in Málaga, Madrid, Alicante, Barcelona, and Bilbao. There were also calls to protest in Stockholm, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, Montevideo, and Brasília.
The Cuban-Basque Association Demokrazia kubarentzat stated days ago that the event is being held because "Cuba is going through one of the most critical stages of its recent history" and emphasized that this is not just "a simple economic difficulty," but rather a structural reality where essential civil and political rights are denied.
In Miami, thousands of Cuban Americans took to the streets to demand freedom for Cuba and express their support for President Donald Trump.
On social media, the account MIA_HAVANA on X highlighted that "thousands of Cuban-American patriots" participated in the mobilization in support of a policy for increased pressure against the Cuban regime.
The federal representative Carlos A. Giménez posted on X the message “Miami demands Freedom for Cuba!”, thus joining the public expressions of support for the initiative.
In Uruguay, gatherings were also reported. The user JaviXCubaLibre shared images on the same social network of Cubans who took to the streets in Montevideo in support of the U.S. president and to call for the liberation of Cuba from the communist regime.
The demonstrations took place in an international context marked by the confirmation of the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, following a joint military operation by the United States and Israel in Iran.
The incident generated a wave of reactions among Cubans both on and off the island, who linked what happened in Tehran to the political situation in Cuba.
On social media, some users directed warnings to Miguel Díaz-Canel and Raúl Castro, while others celebrated the news as a precedent for Iran's allied regimes.
The U.S. president described Jamenei's death as "justice" and warned that he will respond with "unprecedented force" if Iran attacks U.S. or Israeli interests.
For a segment of the exile community and the diaspora, the international landscape rekindles hopes for a potential political change in Cuba and strengthens external pressure as a mechanism to foster transformations on the island.
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