Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, national coordinator of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR), has sparked a wave of mockery and criticism on social media after posting images of himself riding a bicycle taxi in the Havana neighborhood of La Güinera.
“With Ileana La Madrina in La Güinera. (And how heavy it is!)”, he wrote while sharing the photos on both his profile on X and Facebook.
The reactions came quickly. On X, several users questioned the tone of the message and the image being projected. “Pretending to be someone you’re not when in reality you can't even take a single step,” wrote one. Another commented: “Look at what you've become.”
There were also criticisms of his role within the system: “You are ineffective as a spy and as the head of the CDR; Cuba would be better off without them,” while others pointed out ideological contradictions: “Isn’t it amusing how well they now get along with religious figures when in the 70s any religious practice was prohibited for party members?”
On his Facebook profile, the tone was equally critical. "With that belly, it's obvious from a mile away that you never ride a bike" and "What a belly you have! It's clear that you're well-fed," wrote some users in comments that highlight the contrast between his image and the country's economic situation.
Others insisted that it was just a staged act: “For the photo, he didn't move an inch” or “He was definitely just posing.” There were also direct reproaches: “Making jokes while the people are starving and suffering.”
The images were also shared on the CiberCuba Noticias Facebook page, where they sparked a new wave of comments, similarly characterized by mockery and rejection.
"After being a snitch and a tattle-tale, now he's a bike taxi driver," wrote a user. Another one joked, "We have a clown in the CDR." There were also repeated messages questioning the authenticity of the scene: "Just for the photo" and "He's putting on a show for the locals."
Similar to their profiles, several comments referenced their physique as a symbol of privilege: “Your belly isn’t that of someone who rides a bike around Havana” or “They must pedal quite a bit to burn off everything they have on.”
In that same space, some users compared him to Sandro Castro: “Throwing competition with Sandro,” referring to the recent media exposure of Fidel Castro's grandson.
Days earlier, a video was leaked featuring Sandro in a humorous scene alongside a Donald Trump impersonator, filmed in Havana, where the character suggests "buying Cuba" and he responds by asking for "Freedom... The Statue of Liberty".
After the circulation of the material, he reacted angrily: "Seriously, the media leaked my content. Respect the privacy of influencers and artists," and "I learned to be more careful and not to trust even those closest to me," as he stated on his social media.
The comparisons and the tone of the reactions to Gerardo's post reflect an increasingly visible pattern in Cuban social media, where posts by figures linked to the power often lead to mockery and criticism when they are seen as detached from the everyday reality of the population.
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