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Diaz-Canel Leads Havana Torch March as Event Marks Fidel Centenary

The state-led youth procession projected unity under economic strain, with officials casting U.S. pressure as a threat following Nicolás Maduro’s capture.

Overview

  • Thousands marched on January 27 from the University of Havana steps to the Fragua Martiana to commemorate José Martí’s birth.
  • FEU president Litza Elena González Desdín framed the gathering as a call to action and condemned President Donald Trump’s hostile rhetoric toward Cuba.
  • The march was dedicated to Fidel Castro on the centenary of his birth, featuring the national anthem and a floral offering at the José Antonio Mella monument.
  • Former president Raúl Castro did not attend, a first noted in at least a decade, as Miguel Diaz-Canel led alongside top government and Communist Party officials.
  • Cuban authorities emphasized mobilization during a severe economic crisis intensified by disrupted Venezuelan oil supplies, and the foreign minister urged a just international order without coercive measures.