The Union of Young Communists (UJC), mass organizations, student groups, and youth movements called on the people of Havana to gather this Friday at the José Martí Anti-Imperialist Tribune to support Raúl Castro following the criminal charges brought against him by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The event is scheduled for 7:30 AM on Friday, May 22, and aims, according to the announcement spread by Canal Caribe, to "condemn the despicable and infamous act of the U.S. Department of Justice against Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, leader of the Cuban Revolution, and to support the statement of the revolutionary government."
The regime also frames the mobilization as a day of tribute, coinciding with the celebration of Raúl Castro's 95th birthday, who was born on June 3, 1931.
The announcement comes two days after the Department of Justice filed federal charges against the former Cuban leader for the downing of two planes belonging to the organization Hermanos al Rescate on February 24, 1996, resulting in the deaths of four Cuban-Americans: Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales, whose bodies were never recovered.
The charges include conspiracy to assassinate U.S. citizens, four individual counts of murder, and two counts of destruction of an aircraft.
In addition to Raúl Castro, the accusation extends to five other Cuban military personnel: Lorenzo Alberto Pérez Pérez, Emilio José Palacio Blanco, José Fidel Gual Bárzaga, Raúl Simanca Cárdenas, and Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez.
The announcement was made last Wednesday at the Freedom Tower in Miami by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, alongside federal prosecutor Jason A. Reding Quiñones and FBI Deputy Director Christopher G. Raia.
The regime's reaction was immediate and coordinated. President Miguel Díaz-Canel described the accusation as "a political action, with no legal foundation," while Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz called it a "farce" and referred to Hermanos al Rescate as a "narcoterrorist organization."
The regime also threatened a "fierce resistance" to any actions stemming from the charges, and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez lashed out at Senator Marco Rubio, accusing him of being a spokesperson for "corrupt and vengeful" interests.
The José Martí Anti-Imperialist Tribune, located in front of the United States Embassy on the Havana Malecón, was inaugurated in April 2000 during the Elián González case crisis and has historically been used by the regime for politically charged mobilization events with an anti-American sentiment.
Analysts consider the accusation to be primarily symbolic: Raúl Castro is 94 years old, has never set foot on U.S. soil, and there is no extradition treaty between Cuba and the United States.
On its part, the Brigade 2506 stated that prosecuting Raúl Castro "is only the first step."
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