Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, national coordinator of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR), published a group photo of workers from the national direction of that organization this Saturday to commemorate July 26. The response from Cubans on social media was a flood of mockery and criticism that contrasted the official celebration with the crisis the country is experiencing.
In his X account and on Facebook, Hernández shared the image with the message "Our Moncada is the Homeland!" and the hashtags #CDRCuba, #26deJulio, and #MyMoncadaIsTheHomeland.
The photograph showed a group of about 15 to 20 people with Cuban flags, a black and red banner reading "26 Julio," a sign saying "Fidel is Cuba," and the CDR logo.
The post quickly became a target of public outrage. The comment that best captured the sentiments of many was straightforward: "In every block a blackout, in every neighborhood repression. Alone, sad, and abandoned, the imitators of the brown shirts in their final days," emphasized a user.
Other comments pointed to the composition of the photographed group. "Cattle, your roster of hired goats is weak. I see too few sheep there to like your posts," wrote one.
Another was more emphatic about the material conditions of the participants themselves: "Half of them have nothing to eat at home today thanks to the Revolution."
On Facebook, the reactions were equally harsh. One user described the CDR as "the largest non-productive industry on the Island benefiting from the favors of the robolution."
Another one directly confronted the official: "Publish the reality and protests that exist in Cuba, don’t make the world see the lie."
A third comment summarized the rejection with a phrase: "The CDR and the celebration of July 26 represent decades of political control, indoctrination, and repression against the Cuban people. There is nothing to celebrate when freedom is pursued, dissent is punished, and an entire nation is forced to live under fear and scarcity."
The context in which the publication arises makes the celebration even more striking. Cuba is experiencing one of its worst electrical crises, with total collapses of the National Electroenergetic System, significant generation deficits, and outages lasting between 20 and 40 continuous hours in several provinces.
The national central event on July 26 was designated precisely to Pinar del Río, one of the provinces most affected by power outages, with cuts that at times exceeded 30 consecutive hours. The choice of this venue alone generated a wave of mockery on social media.
This is not the first time that Hernández's posts have sparked massive reactions of rejection. In May, Cubans erupted against the official after he posted a meme asking the opposition how they would survive if they "overthrow the regime."
A few days ago, he mocked a demonstration by the exile community in Miami on X to commemorate the anniversary of the protests on July 11, 2021, with the same outcome.
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