Miguel Díaz-Canel issued a direct challenge to the United States this Friday via his Facebook account, appropriating a phrase from José Martí to respond to the federal criminal accusation against Raúl Castro.
“The tumultuous and brutal North that despises us still does not know us: in wanting to divide us, it has united us even more”, said the Cuban leader.
The message arrived an hour after the political event held at the José Martí Anti-Imperialist Tribune in Havana, called in response to the criminal charges brought by the U.S. Department of Justice against Raúl Castro for the downing of two planes from Brothers to the Rescue on February 24, 1996.
In his post, Díaz-Canel also wrote: "Just a few days before Raúl's 95th birthday, the attempt to attack the Army General has become an extraordinary motivation to advance the celebration of his life," and concluded with a call for loyalty to the elder: "Continue with your foot in the stirrup. Command!"
The Marti phrase that Díaz-Canel used comes from the incomplete letter that José Martí wrote to Manuel Mercado on May 18, 1895, two days before dying in battle in Dos Ríos, and it is a recurring reference in Cuban official rhetoric to frame any tension with Washington.
The event at the Anti-Imperialist Tribune was marked by two notable absences. The first: Díaz-Canel appeared dressed in an olive green combat uniform but did not deliver a speech to the crowd, breaking his usual pattern in that setting.
The only leader who spoke was Gerardo Hernández, national coordinator of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, who conveyed a brief message from Raúl Castro, asserting that the fight for Cuba will continue.
The second absence was even more notable: the honoree himself did not attend the event organized in his name, which sparked a wave of mockery on social media.
"Wasn't the honoree at the event?" "Raúl is in the cave!" "There are more olive green uniforms than people, nobody supports this," wrote Cuban users.
The regime mobilized public transport, military personnel, police, and workers to increase attendance at the event, called by the Young Communist Union and other mass organizations.
The health status of Raúl Castro, who will turn 95 years old on June 3, is a permanent underlying factor. Díaz-Canel described him in April as "fragile due to his advanced age."
His last public appearance had been on May 1st at that same podium, visibly deteriorated.
The diplomatic context is highly tense. Secretary of State Marco Rubio admitted on Thursday that "frankly, I don't see much progress" in the negotiations with the Cuban regime, labeled Cuba a "failed state," and warned of a potential systemic collapse.
Regarding the accusation against Raúl Castro in the United States, Rubio was forthright: "We will bring him to justice, but if there is any announcement, we will likely make it afterwards, not before."
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