The young Cuban Arián González has ignited debate on social media after posting a video on Facebook in which he harshly questions the figure of Fidel Castro and his political legacy.
"Let's put aside the notion that Fidel was any kind of eminent figure. Eminent in what?" the young man begins, delivering a direct and straightforward message in which he criticizes the unfulfilled promises of the Cuban leader following his rise to power in 1959.
González recalls that Castro promised free elections and the restoration of the 1940 Constitution, commitments that —he points out— were never realized. In his speech, he also accuses the late leader of concentrating power, eliminating opposition, and silencing those who held different views.
"Then tell me, is that a leader or is it someone who just wants power?" questions the young man, prompting a reflection on the concept of leadership.
In his message, he contrasts that image with what he believes a true president should be: someone with values, who respects their people, fulfills their promises, and is not afraid of a diversity of opinions.
For González, Fidel Castro "was no star," but rather "a guy who knew how to sell thousands of speeches" to gain the trust of the people and then act in the opposite direction. His words conclude with a direct criticism of those who still defend the figure of the former leader, whom he labels as "selfish."
González's arguments are historically verifiable. Castro promised in 1959 to hold free elections within 18 months and to restore the 1940 Constitution, which he himself had invoked as a programmatic banner in his defense during the trial for the Moncada assault in 1953. Neither of the two promises was fulfilled.
In contrast, in February 1959, constitutional statutes were established that concentrated power in the Council of Ministers. In 1961, Castro declared the socialist nature of the Revolution and dissolved opposing parties. In 1976, a communist Constitution was enacted that definitively buried any remnants of the promised democratic order.
The video is published in the context of the centenary year of Castro, proclaimed by Miguel Díaz-Canel in December 2025 before the National Assembly. To commemorate this occasion, the regime has organized poetry contests, pilgrimages, student military training, and youth caravans in honor of this date. However, the popular response on social media has been largely critical, with comments such as "1926-2026, 100 years of slavery" or "What the people need is food, fair wages, and medicine, not slogans."
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