All five said they support the movement's claims. How does someone feel about this who has suffered repression by Cuba's State Security forces for expressing ideas contrary to the regime, or for their anti-racism activism – which, according to Castroism, does not exist in Cuba? Can one sympathize with the dictator's admirers?ĭIARIO DE CUBA posed this question to five black Cuban activists and artists who have suffered different degrees of repression by the regime. On November 27, 2016, two days after the death of Fidel Castro, the BLM movement paid tribute to him in a statement in which it stated: "Although no leader is free from shortcomings, we must respond to right-wing rhetoric and defend El Comandante", ending in Spanish: "Fidel vive!" (Fidel lives!) In Miami, where there is a large Cuban community, there have been celebrations in some parts of the city, with people banging pots and cheering.Ī Cuban exile group, the Cuban Democratic Directorate, said Castro left “legacy of intolerance” and had set up a “vicious totalitarian regime”.Now that millions of people around the world and Cuba are showing solidarity with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, following the death of African American George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer, a fact forgotten or ignored by many has resurfaced, creating controversy among those who oppose Castroism. Pope Francis, who met Castro, an atheist, when he visited Cuba in 2015, called his death “sad news” and sent “sentiments of grief”. Russian President Vladimir Putin described him as a “reliable and sincere friend” of Russia, while Chinese President Xi Jinping said “Comrade Castro will live forever”.įor French President Francois Hollande, Castro embodied Cuba’s revolution in both its “hopes” and its later “disappointments”. The Soviet Union’s last leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, said: “Fidel stood up and strengthened his country during the harshest American blockade, when there was colossal pressure on him.” Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro said “revolutionaries of the world must follow his legacy”. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said Castro was a “great friend” of Mexico, while to El Salvador’s President Salvador Sanchez Ceren he was an “eternal companion”. Latin American leaders have been quick to pay tribute. The other world leaders they quoted, however, had positive things to say about his death: We found a BBC article on Castro’s passing from 2016 and in it, they shared some reactions from various world leaders, including from then-President-Elect Donald Trump who exclaimed, “Castro is dead!” “As Fidel ascends to the realm of the ancestors, we summon his guidance, strength, and power as we recommit ourselves to the struggle for universal freedom,” the post concluded. “As a Black network committed to transformation, we are particularly grateful to Fidel for holding Mama Assata Shakur, who continues to inspire us.” In the post, BLM also expressed gratitude to Castro for harboring Assata Shakur, a convicted cop-killer who fled to Cuba after she escaped from prison in 1979. “From Fidel, we know that revolution is sparked by an idea, by radical imaginings, which sometimes take root first among just a few dozen people coming together in the mountains.” Although no leader is without their flaws, we must push back against the rhetoric of the right and come to the defense of El Comandante,” the post said.Ĭastro’s communist revolution included mass executions and imprisonment of political opponents.īLM’s 2016 post outlined “the lessons that we take from Fidel.” There is an overwhelming sense of loss, complicated by fear and anxiety. “We are feeling many things as we awaken to a world without Fidel Castro. The Columbia Bugle □□ July 16, 2021Ī Medium post made by the group around that time is also receiving criticism, as Fox News reported: Republicans joined the Left in removing statues & renaming military bases to appease this group. The Columbia Bugle lamented that “Republicans joined the Left in removing statues & renaming military bases to appease this group.” Washington DC named a plaza next to the White House after this despicable organization… - Steve Cortes July 16, 2021 Newsmax’s Steve Cortes reminded his followers that “Washington DC named a plaza next to the White House after this despicable organization…” Friendly reminder that this is what BLM is-and has always been.
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