Miguel Díaz-Canel led a military event in Havana this Thursday to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the Western Army, and the reaction from Cubans on social media was an overwhelming wave of mockery, frustration, and outrage.
The president posted about the event on his Facebook profile with the message: “It is an honor to participate in the ceremony for the 65th anniversary of the Western Army, founded by Fidel for the defense of the Homeland. I join in recognizing the Army General and his fighters, steadfast and prepared for any threat. Congratulations to those promoted and honored.”
The post gathered 774 comments, the vast majority of which were critical and mocking, reflecting the gap between the pomp of the event and the crisis facing the population.
The most notable contrast was the country's electricity situation: while the auditorium was bright and air-conditioned, thousands of Cuban families have been enduring blackouts of up to 20 hours a day for weeks. "There is electricity there, and they even have their snacks or meals," wrote one user. Another was more direct: "Ceremonies, events, and diplomas, while my family has been without power for 40 hours, and you’re all happy as if nothing is happening in the municipalities; that’s why your theater is running out."
The image of the uniformed officers also sparked sarcasm. "Which one of these can run half a block?" asked one commentator. "They look like avocados ready for guacamole," wrote another. "Just a bunch of old folks and skin," added a third. Several pointed out that none of those present seemed to have ever gone hungry, unlike the people they are supposedly defending.
Other comments pointed directly to political exhaustion: "They now celebrate that they have little time left; I recommend that they surrender, or else they won't fare well," summarized one user the general sentiment.
A user took the opportunity to quote a message from the Cuban broadcaster Laritza Camacho to the leaders: "Having and exercising power does not make you credible, efficient, or just. Looking for external blame to justify your poor management does not work either."
The event was attended by the Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, Army Corps General Álvaro López Miera, along with a formal congratulation from Raúl Castro during his retirement. The chief of the Western Army, Division General Ernest Feijóo Eiró, stated that his troops "will confront any plans that seek to undermine our determination to be free and independent."
The event occurs at the height of tension between Cuba and the United States in decades. Just a day before, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth visited the Guantanamo Naval Base, and the very same Thursday confirmed from Central Command in Tampa that a capture or elimination operation against Díaz-Canel “remains an option on the table.” The regime responded by calling those statements “completely wrong”.
For many Cubans, seeing the military leadership rallying around Díaz-Canel in an auditorium filled with light and food, while the country faces record protests and blackouts, is not a sign of strength but rather the most eloquent image of their disconnection from reality. "They've destroyed their country and are congratulating themselves," wrote one user. "Among criminal tyrants, they flatter, applaud, and reward each other," asserted another.
This is not the first time that a military act by the regime has triggered such reactions: in January, an impassioned speech by a young soldier also sparked massive mockery on social media, a pattern that recurs every time the leadership celebrates while the people suffer.
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