Miguel Díaz-Canel declared last Friday that "every Cuban man and woman has a rifle" and a designated role in the defense of the revolution, during his speech at the closing of the International Solidarity Meeting with Cuba held at the Palace of Conventions in Havana. The response on social media was immediate and overwhelming: thousands of Cubans rejected the leader speaking on their behalf and contrasted his warlike rhetoric with the harsh reality of the island.
The leader warned about the "imminence of a military aggression" from the United States and assured that Cuba will not experience "neither surprise nor defeat." Díaz-Canel also warned about imminent military aggression in statements made during the peak of the highest escalation of tension between Havana and Washington in decades.
"The Cuban people are not afraid... because when one is willing to give their life for a just cause... fear is gone," stated the leader, linking this supposed collective courage to the march on May 1st and the signature campaign imposed by the regime.
The reactions on social media quickly dismantled the argument point by point.
"Stop speaking on behalf of the Cuban people, because you know they did not choose you, nor do they want you," responded one user. Another was more direct: "There is no fear, no water, no electricity, no food."
Several comments pointed out the contradiction between the rhetoric of bravery and the actual situation of the ruler. "The one who's afraid is you," wrote an internet user. "Now they are afraid, very afraid of losing everything, and they want to use the people they have humiliated so much as a protective shield," added another.
Irony was also a main character. "The rifle that I get, I donate... let those who ate sing," wrote a Cuban. Another remarked, "Well, since I didn't sign nor did I go to the parade, I don't have any rifles, hahaha."
A more extensive comment summarized the fundamental rejection: "A country is not measured by military slogans, but by food on the table, freedom of choice, and real opportunities for its people. If the only political response is to talk about war and eternal resistance, the problem is not external... it is internal."
The speech takes place in a context of extreme pressure. On May 1, Trump signed a new executive order against the dictatorship that expands sanctions on the energy, defense, mining, and financial sectors. The following day, Trump himself stated at a private dinner in Florida that the United States will take Cuba almost immediately after concluding operations in Iran.
Díaz-Canel himself acknowledged in his speech that Cuba went four months without receiving fuel and that the recently arrived Russian oil "is already running out these days and we do not know when more fuel will arrive in Cuba," a confession that contrasts with his triumphant tone.
It is not the first time that his public speeches have sparked this kind of reaction. A outburst of criticism on social media following Díaz-Canel’s remarks occurred again in April with an identical pattern: revolutionary rhetoric met with irony, frustration, and references to power outages lasting up to 25 hours a day that affect more than 55% of the Cuban territory.
"The Cuban people are not afraid because you have taken everything from us, even our fear," concluded a user, in what was perhaps the most referenced response from the avalanche of comments.
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