Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, national coordinator of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR), posted a video on Facebook of Cubans dancing in the street after the conclusion of an official political event held on Wednesday in Havana, accompanied by a jab aimed at those who criticize the nature of that participation.
"At the end of the event in support of the Revolution, I ran into some of those who -according to the haters- attend 'under obligation'...", wrote Hernández.
In a second post, the former spy added: "Cubans create it wherever they want! After the event, we found this group dancing in the street to the rhythm of 'Me dicen Cuba'."
The images and video show a group of people dancing and celebrating in the vicinity of the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC) in Vedado, where posters reading "100 Years with Fidel" can be seen on the facade of the building.
The event referred to by Hernández was the commemoration of the 65th anniversary of the proclamation of the socialist character of the Cuban Revolution, held on Wednesday at the corner of 23rd and 12th streets in Vedado and presided over by Miguel Díaz-Canel.
To ensure the event, the Provincial Road Safety Commission of Havana ordered the complete closure of several streets in the Plaza de la Revolución municipality starting at 05:00 hours on that day.
Hernández's publication directly responds to a recurring criticism from opponents and Cubans in exile, who allege that attendance at these events is coerced through workplaces, schools, and mass organizations, while the regime portrays them as expressions of voluntary popular support.
On the same day of the event, the comedian Ulises Toirac criticized the gathering on Facebook, calling it a "waste of resources" amidst blackouts that reached up to 1,872 megawatts of energy deficit in the country.
Hernández's post aligns with a common propaganda pattern seen on his social media. On April 12, he published a photo of the Capitolio in Havana titled "Beautiful Havana", sparking outrage. On April 1, he showed a Cuban sleeping on cardboard in Miami to criticize Cuban-American politicians. And in January, he posed with a PKM machine gun claiming that the Cuban people want peace but are ready for war.
Cuba is experiencing one of its worst economic crises since the 1990s, marked by widespread blackouts, a general shortage of food and fuel, and a massive exodus of its population. This context makes the festive narrative that Hernández attempts to project from his platform on social media even more striking.
Filed under: