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The Cuban influencer residing in Spain and self-described "fidelista-marxista-leninista" María Teresa Felipe Sosa (Tere Felipe), posted a message of support for the Cuban regime on Facebook on the occasion of the May Day parade of 2026, but limited the comments on the post to shield herself from the criticisms she typically receives from other Cubans.
In his message, accompanied by an image of the gathering at the Havana Malecón in front of the United States Embassy, Felipe wrote: "Did you expect us to kneel and tremble? We are Cubans; surrender is not in our nature. Fear of the Empire, none. Total support for the words of the president, which, as a Cuban, are also mine."
The contradiction is evident, as while he proclaims revolutionary bravery from Europe, he silences the voices that challenge him, replicating on a personal level the same censorial logic of the regime he defends.
It is not the first time Felipe has caused controversy with such statements. In March 2026, he blamed Trump for the blackouts in Cuba, which sparked a deluge of responses from Cubans who pointed out the hypocrisy of supporting the regime from the comfort of Spain.
On that occasion, the comments were blunt. "Tere, go over there to support. It's very easy to open X and write from Spain. Go and resist creatively," a user wrote to her.
Another added, "Come on, Tere, in the first person you'll be able to report much better."
The context of its most recent publication is the escalation of tensions between Cuba and the United States. The May Day parade in Cuba had a distinctly militant tone and was moved from the Plaza de la Revolución to the Anti-Imperialist Tribune in front of the U.S. Embassy.
Raúl Castro, at 94 years old, presided over the event in his first public appearance since December 2025, at an event outlined in the Year of Preparation for Defense that the regime declared for 2026.
On the same day as the parade, President Donald Trump signed a new executive order expanding sanctions against Cuba, blocking assets of officials and companies linked to repression, energy, defense, and finance.
Days earlier, on March 28, Trump declared in Miami that "sometimes military force must be employed, and Cuba is next."
This propaganda tactic from abroad is not exclusive to Felipe. Figures such as Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, national coordinator of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR), took advantage of the blackout in Spain and Portugal to label Europe as a "failed continent", employing a similar propaganda strategy.
The Communist Party of Cuba responded to Trump's threats with the slogan that "there will be no surrender in Cuba," the same message that Tere Felipe amplifies from Spain, but with the comments disabled.
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