Mariela Castro Espín, director of the National Center for Sexual Education (CENESEX) and daughter of Raúl Castro, stated that the Cuban opposition —particularly that arising from independent LGBT activism— is "fictitious," "manufactured," and "mercenary for money," funded by the United States to destabilize the revolution.
The statements were made during the visit of the European delegation of the Solidarity Convoy "Our America" to CENESEX in Havana, in an interview that Cubainformación TV published this Thursday.
"They have come, they have recruited people here to pose as if they were an opposition, but a fictitious opposition, it is an invented and mercenary opposition, for money," stated Castro.
The also Deputy to the National Assembly pointed out that Washington uses sectors with social progress to recruit those who will act as opponents.
"All sectors that have certain advancements seek projects to recruit mercenaries, for example, with the LGBT activism that we have developed here."
This narrative mirrors the stance that Castro held in May 2019, when independent LGBT activists organized in Havana the first unauthorized march of its kind — regarded as the largest unpermitted protest since the Maleconazo of 1994 — which ended in mass arrests.
On that occasion, Castro accused the protesters of "the flattery of mercenary activism," the same disqualification he repeats seven years later.
The Cuban regime only allows LGBT demonstrations organized by CENESEX; any autonomous organization faces harassment, detention, and systematic surveillance by the State Security.
In the same interview, Castro strongly criticized President Donald Trump, labeling him a "deeply ignorant" individual who knows nothing about politics, and even less about human rights. She asserted that "he repeats any nonsense that is told to him and changes his narrative every five minutes."
He also stated that the CIA is warning the Trump administration not to "mess with Cuba because it won't end well for them." He accused the U.S. government of being "beasts, universal vandals" that "spend their lives eliminating all their opponents."
The Convoy arrived in Cuba between March 18 and March 24 of 2026, with around 650 participants from 33 countries and more than twenty tons of humanitarian aid, including medicines, food, and solar panels.
Among its supporters were former British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Spanish politician Pablo Iglesias, and U.S. Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib.
Castro expressed gratitude for the solidarity but warned of its limits: "Solidarity will not meet the needs of our people," although he acknowledged that "it addresses a crucial need for love, for standing by our side."
At the end of the interview, Castro summarized the regime's stance on the crisis: "There is pain, there is much concern, but we are also taking action. We wish for peace, to survive in peace, and that is something we protect. We are seeking the best for our people without yielding, without bowing down, without accepting impositions."
Filed under: