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The organization Cuban Freedom March called for a march on July 11 on Calle Ocho in Miami, under the slogan "Actions, not words," to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the historic protests of 11J in Cuba.
The event, called "Liberation Day Rally", will take place from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm in front of La Casa del Preso, located at 1444 SW 8th St., in the heart of Little Havana.
The march will begin at 5:30 PM from that point and will proceed down Calle Ocho, passing by the Bay of Pigs Museum and Little Havana, until it concludes at Domino Park, next to the Tower Theater.
The mobilization is part of a larger event organized by the city of Miami and Commissioner Miguel Ángel Gabela Escalona, which will run from 1:00 PM to 10:00 PM and will include art exhibitions, cultural performances, and community meetings.
Alián Collazo, Executive Director of Cuban Freedom March, explained to CubaNet the central purpose of the event: "It will take place on July 11 to mark the fifth anniversary of the massive protests in Cuba. It is a full day of programming (…) and from 5 to 6 PM there will be the March for Freedom, because we are calling for actions, not words."
Collazo emphasized that the event aims to make it clear that the exile community has not forgotten what happened in July 2021: "We want to show that we have not forgotten July 11, that there was a before and an after when considering what July 11 means for the history of Cuba and the Cuban people."
The organizers also expressed support for the sanctions imposed by the U.S. administration against the regime, although they warned that they are not sufficient on their own.
"We are grateful to the administration for all the sanctions and actions they have taken against the dictatorship, but we want to see concrete actions (...) because sanctions exert pressure, even on the highest officials of the dictatorship, but that alone will not bring about change," he emphasized.
Among the demands of the organizers is also recognition for those who confront the regime from within the Island: "We are supporting the popular protests that are happening daily in the country and the risks that our brothers and sisters inside Cuba are taking," Collazo stated.
The activist also warned against the political exploitation of the Cuban community in South Florida: "We do not want South Florida to be seen merely as a political issue that can be used during election times. We want the pressure to truly lead to the end of the dictatorship."
The protests on July 11, 2021, were the largest wave of anti-government demonstrations recorded in Cuba since 1959, with thousands of people taking to the streets in over 40 cities to demand freedom and the end of the regime.
The government's response included a large police and military operation. According to the organization Justicia 11J, 1,558 people were detained, and by the end of May 2026, human rights organizations count 1,281 political prisoners in Cuba, at least 338 of whom are directly linked to the events of July 11.
The fifth anniversary arrives at a time of heightened tension on the Island, where over 1,300 protests were recorded in May, primarily driven by power outages lasting up to 40 consecutive hours.
A symbolic element adds urgency to the date: the sentence of the artist and political prisoner Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, founder of the San Isidro Movement and arrested on July 11, 2021, expires on July 9 just two days before the anniversary of the protests that led to his imprisonment.
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