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July 28, 2009 - No. 146

56th Anniversary of Attack on Moncada Barracks

Long Live the Cuban People and Their Revolution!
Free the Cuban Five!



Cuban President Raúl Castro addresses Moncada Day mass rally in Holguín, July 26, 2009.

Long Live the Cuban People and Their Revolution! Free the Cuban Five! - Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist)
Moncada Day Celebration: Cubans Called on to Step Up Hurricane Recovery and Agricultural Efforts
Moncada Day Celebrations Held across Cuba
Cuba's Revolution Day Celebrated in Canada

For Your Information
Moncada Day, Cuba's National Day of Rebellion - Jamilé Ghaddar


56th Anniversary of Attack on Moncada Barracks

Long Live the Cuban People and Their Revolution!
Free the Cuban Five!


The Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) sends revolutionary greetings to the Cuban people and their leadership on the occasion of the 56th anniversary of the attack on the Moncada Barracks. That attack unleashed a nation-wide struggle for Cuba's sovereignty that would win victory six years later with the revolution.

On July 26, 1953 a group of youth, led by the legendary leader of the Cuban Revolution Comrade Fidel Castro, attacked the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Cespedes Barracks of the army of U.S. puppet dictator Fulgencio Batista in Santiago de Cuba and Bayamo respectively. The Moncada Barracks were the military centre of the Batista regime in the south and its second largest and most powerful garrison. Since the 1959 triumph of the revolution in Cuba, this day has been commemorated with the participation of millions of Cubans. In marking this anniversary, the Cuban people reaffirm their determination to uphold their right to live free from foreign interference and to create a socialist society.

On this occasion, CPC(M-L) calls on the Canadian working class and people to step up support for revolutionary Cuba, to ensure that the continued criminal U.S. blockade of Cuba is brought to an end and that no further harm is done to the Cuban people. In this regard, CPC(M-L) calls on the Canadian working class and people to actively oppose U.S. provocations against Cuba including the imprisonment of the five Cubans in U.S. jails. They were unjustly imprisoned for warning Cuba and the U.S. of the use of U.S. territory to conduct terrorist attacks against Cuba. Since the triumph of the revolution, whose 50th anniversary we celebrate this year, the U.S. has sought to eliminate the Cuban people's state power which is the guarantee that Cuba remains on an independent path and that the Cuban people are the masters of their fate. This is what the U.S. imperialists cannot tolerate. The change in U.S. administration has not produced a change in the U.S. imperialists' aim of "regime change" to make Cuba conform to U.S. annexationist interests. On the contrary, it has become increasingly clear that the U.S. is trying to impose a self-serving definition of what constitutes democracy on not only Cuba, but on all countries of the Americas, as seen most recently in Honduras.

CPC(M-L) salutes the Cuban people whose sacrifice to live free has safeguarded Cuban independence in the face of the most brutal attacks and offensives.

Free the Cuban Five!
Step Up Support for Revolutionary Cuba!
Long Live the Cuban Revolution!

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Moncada Day Celebration

Cubans Called on to Step Up Hurricane Recovery
and Agricultural Efforts

Throughout Cuba, millions of people took part in activities to mark the 56th anniversary of the attack on the Moncada and Manuel de Cespedes Barracks. The central rally to mark National Rebellion Day was held July 26 in Holguín, attended by 200,000 citizens representing all Cuban people.

The mass rally opened at 7:00 am sharp. Notable attendees included veterans of the attacks on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Cespedes barracks back in 1953, members of the Cuban government and Communist Party, relatives of the five Cuban patriots held in U.S. jails, as well as members of the 20th U.S.-Cuba Friendshipment Caravan and other international guests.

Cuban President Raúl Castro Addresses Holguín Rally

The main address at the rally in Holguín was given by Cuban President Raúl Castro. He praised the attitude of the Cuban people following the devastating hurricanes of 2008 and affirmed that the past months have truly been difficult ones of arduous work.

From one end of the country to the other, the Cuban people's capacity for resistance, organization and solidarity has been demonstrated, he added.

Examples abound of how work should be done at this time; that was the attitude assumed by the people of Holguín after Hurricane Ike hit, and that's how it was everywhere, he said. Many compañeros remained mobilized, far from home, even though their own families were also affected, he affirmed.

They trusted in the Revolution and fulfilled their duties, he reiterated.

Raúl highlighted the solidarity demonstrated in facing the hurricanes and noted that it says a lot about the Cuban people to see how they welcomed into their homes neighbours whose homes were not safe given this type of adversity.

It is in those values that the Cuban people are educated, in genuine solidarity; they share what they have with their brothers and sisters, be they Cuban or from other lands, he added, pointing out that it is not leftovers that get given as charity, although, he pointed out, in Cuba, generally speaking, there are no leftovers.

To the same extent, he said, the Cuban people are grateful for the help, gestures of solidarity and support received from different parts of the world. He gave special recognition to the work of the interreligious foundation Pastors for Peace; its leader the Reverend Lucius Walker, the members of the 20th U.S.-Cuba Friendshipment Caravan, and the Venceremos Brigade, now in its 40th year.

The damage to housing from the hurricane is a very serious affair, Raúl noted; in Holguín alone, close to 125,000 homes were affected and about half have been recuperated.

Nationwide, when adding up all of the damage from the last three hurricanes and work still pending from previous hurricanes, the total was more than 600,000 homes at the close of 2008. "That is why I warned that time was needed to resolve that situation," he said.

It is significant that as of July 20, some 43 percent of the losses had been resolved; in other words, more than 260,000 homes. Nevertheless, "there is a large amount of work still to be done," Raul said.

It is necessary to prevent those enormous figures from accumulating again in the future, taking into account that because of climate change, scientists predict that hurricanes may grow more intense and more frequent, he said.

Likewise, work is underway to be able to prevent and deal with the effects of recurring periods of drought through diverse measures such as water pipelines, including from one province to another, Raúl said.

Great responsibility has fallen on Holguín, because it is a large province with more than one million inhabitants and a large impact on the economy. The selection of that province as the venue (for the national July 26 celebration) was a reward for the efforts and work carried out, he said.

"We congratulate the men and women of Holguín, Miguel Díaz Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the PCC [Communist Party of Cuba] in the province in those difficult times, and in previous years, which were also ones of intense work, and Jorge Cuevas Ramos, now First Secretary (of the Party) in Holguín," he added.

He also congratulated the provinces that won the title of "outstanding" but "without ignoring the efforts made by all"; the compatriots of Pinar del Río and the Isle of Youth who faced extremely severe damages, and the people of Camagüey and Las Tunas; in particular, the residents of Santa Cruz del Sur and Guayabal, where there was severe damage and in some cases total destruction.

In his speech, Raúl, the second secretary of the Party referred to economic issues, such as the current construction of hydraulic works, and emphasized the need to make the land productive.

"There is the land, and here are the Cuban people; let us see if we produce or not. There is no other option but to make it produce," he said, referring to the same issue addressed two years ago in Camagüey on a day such as this.

"We cannot sit by if there is a single hectare that is not being utilized, waiting to be worked," and he reiterated that land unfit for cultivating crops should be used for planting trees.

Raúl said that as part of a government program begun last year to turn unused state land over to private farmers 82,000 out of the 110,000 applicants have already been given their land.

He said agricultural production is Cuba's top priority and a matter of national security.

The Cuban people are able to overcome all difficulties, no matter how big they can be, Raúl stressed.

Raúl announced important meetings in the coming days, including one of the Council of Ministers, to analyze a second round of budget cuts in the face of the international financial crisis; a plenum of the Party's Central Committee and the sessions of the National Assembly of People's Power, which will discuss, among other things, a proposed law for the General Comptroller of the Republic.

Communist Party Leaders Stress Local Recovery Efforts and Achievements

The First Secretary of Cuba's Communist Party in Holguín, Jorge Cuevas Ramos, addressed hundreds of thousands of people during July 26 commemorations as he stressed the local advances in the recovery from the damage inflicted by hurricane Ike last year.

Cuevas Ramos highlighted the steadfast efforts of the Holguín people over the past months to restore many economic sectors hard hit by the storm. He said the people in Holguín will not rest until they fully recover from the damage inflicted. The only remnants of that storm will be its sad memory, and also the lessons learned, which allow the people to prepare much better to face any other future event of this kind, he said.

In his statement to the packed crowd in the historic Calixto Garcia Plaza, the member of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party recalled the speech given by Fidel Castro on July 26, 13 years ago, when he highlighted the revolutionary history of that eastern region and the patriotic traditions of its people.


Left to right: Jorge Cuevas Ramos, Raúl Castro, Miguel Diaz Canel

Minutes before Cuevas spoke to the people, Miguel Diaz Canel, former Communist Party Leader in Holguín province and current Minister of Higher Education addressed the huge demonstration to say that he shared the healthy and revolutionary pride of the Holguín people.

Diaz Canel stressed the goals in different social and economic sectors, which were reached with perseverance, braveness, optimism and unconditional commitment. You have worked step by step, one day after the other, with unlimited commitment; you have transformed programs and projects and you faced the adversities imposed by nature, he said.

The Cuban government official asked the people in Holguín to dedicate their celebration to Fidel and Raul, to the Revolution, the Communist Party and the five Cuban heroes imprisoned in the United States.

(Granma International, Prensa Latina, Cuban News Agency, Radio Cadena Agramonte)

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Moncada Day Celebrations Held across Cuba

July 26 Veterans Recall Fidel Castro's Firm Certainty in
Revolutionary Victory

On July 21, a group of combatants of the July 26, 1953 assaults on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Cespedes barracks, and Granma yacht expedition members highlighted Fidel Castro's firm certainty in the victory of the Cuban Revolution against the Batista dictatorship that ruled the country before January 1, 1959.

The veterans held a meeting with workers of the Cuban Friendship Institute (ICAP) at the Friendship House in Havana as part of activities marking the 56th anniversary of the heroic actions undertaken against the Batista army barracks in the cities of Santiago de Cuba and Bayamo.

Moncada Combatant and expedition member Emilio Albertosa Chacon pointed out that Fidel always had and promoted faith in the future to carry out the two historic actions, as he did during their incarceration at the then Isle of Pines (today Isle of Youth) and later during the journey of the Granma yacht towards Cuba and the combats waged on the Sierra Maestra Mountain Range. The meaning of the legacy was also addressed by combatants Arsenio Garcia Davila and Gilberto Garcia Alonso along many others.

ICAP President Kenia Serrano explained about the institution, founded December 30, 1960 to welcome an increasing number of friends of Cuba, who came to Cuba in those days in order to learn of the developing revolutionary process. ICAP maintains relations with over 2,000 Cuba-friendship associations in 149 countries, plus 347 committees actively working in 112 nations for the release of the five Cuban anti-terrorist fighters held in U.S. prisons for over 10 years now.

Cuban Youth and Children Recall Historic July 26 Events

In a traditional yearly homage paid to the actors in the historic events of July 26, 1953, children and youth visited hundreds of sites, including monuments and museums and engaged in exchanges with veterans that participated in the historic assaults on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Cespedes barracks, an action that sparked the revolutionary fight against the Batista dictatorship that ruled the country in the 1950s.   

The initiative, considered a trip to the roots of the Cuban Revolution also includes visits to places linked to developments that took place during the liberation war and even after the January 1, 1959, revolutionary victory, said Osnay Miguel Colina, in charge of the ideological section at the National Bureau of the Young Communist League.

This July 26 is welcomed by very active and industrious Cuban youth, formed in today's battle for the country's recovery, economic and social development, said the youth leader, who mentioned several examples of how young generations of Cubans consciously mobilize in support of the country's major efforts. He cited the Student Work Brigades, known as BETs, and the thousands of young people who are currently contributing to agriculture or social projects.

As part of activities, over 200 medical students have visited patients in their homes to corroborate the effectiveness of the Cuban pharmaceutical to treat the diabetic foot, known as HEBERPROT, while another 500 youths are currently supporting the country's energy-saving effort by working as inspectors in many state entities throughout the country, the youth leader explained.

Another way of participating in activities marking the historic date is the participation by over 37,000 young people in short-term summer courses on general culture that will prepare them for life, said Colina.

Several youth interviewed by the Cuban News Agency following the main rally in Holguín, indicated that the speech by President Raúl Castro served as a guide to action. Yordanis Pupo, a social worker, said "We are able -- as Raul said -- to make our land productive and apply our knowledge to lower imports and increase local production."

Meanwhile, Darisney Avila, a young woman who also attended the rally, said that Raul gave the guidelines to further boost the country's development; she said Raul's statement revealed a general commitment to reach the victory.

Young Communist League leader in Holguín, Osmany Viñals, underscored the responsibility of the young generations of Cuba in contributing to a fruitful exploitation of the lands. We will keep firmly committed to the battle that must be waged and for any mission we are appointed to, said the youth leader.

Camagüey

In the eastern province of Camagüey, determination to face with optimism the current situation of global economic crisis was expressed by those who attended the rallies held in the province, marking the 56th anniversary of the assault on the Moncada military garrison by young Fidel Castro and his comrades.

In this vein, in the days before the Moncada Day celebration several buildings and services for the social welfare were opened in the municipalities of Florida, Guáimaro and Sibanicú.

Florida was awarded the honour of hosting the province's main July 26 rally. At Ñico López Square, the main provincial leader gave detailed explanation of the territory's achievements over the last year and called to work more efficiently in two main fronts: the construction and repair of houses and food production.

In Florida, several social institutions resumed their functions July 24 after a period of repairs, thus greeting Cuba's Moncada Day. The Municipal Library, the Literary Center and the Municipal Direction of Culture were the buildings repaired in the artistic sector, while another 15 commercial premises were refurbished. In Guáimaro and Sibanicú, houses, urban vegetable gardens, schools, a residential care home for elderly people and milk processing facilities, amongst others, were repaired and re-inaugurated. Those buildings were severely damaged by Hurricanes Ike and Paloma that hit this portion of Cuba last year, which makes this deed even more praiseworthy, said Julio Cesar García Rodríguez, First Secretary of the Communist Party (PCC) in Camagüey.

In all cases, the contribution of workers and residents of the affected zones has been decisive. Over 40 percent of the damaged houses were repaired, which is encouraging people to push forward.

Guantanamo

On the eve of the 56th anniversary of the historic assault to the Moncada Barracks, residents of the easternmost province of Guantanamo celebrated the National Rebellion Day in different productive activities and leisure, Radio Cadena Agramonte reports. Foremost amongst these was work to repair and open numerous socio-economic works in each of the ten municipalities of the territory, including food service facilities, schools, playgrounds and others related to the health of the people.

On this day of commemoration it is a tradition of the Cuban people to perform these activities as a worthy tribute to those who decided to make this courageous deed, led by the leader of the Revolution, the Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, Radio Cadena Agramonte pointed out.

During these days of celebration, all Cubans, and the Guantanamo people in particular, demonstrate their full support for the Cuban Revolution because human welfare is the fundamental basis of the revolutionary process. The report continues:

"The Moncada taught us that nothing is impossible when justice is in the foreground, where it is necessary to fight and risk life for a cause that involves large masses of people who are harmed by the unbridled exploitation of the monopoly bourgeoisie and the foreign transnationals.

"Guantanamo and the rest of the island are all celebrating. We await July 26 full of joy and hope because we own our future and destiny.

"The heroic combatants of that day in 1953 entered into the history of our Motherland by their own right and shall remain there for the pride of those who live in the Greater of the Antilles."

Holguín

Each year in Cuba celebrations are held in a city chosen for its social and economic gains that year. This year, more than 200,000 Cubans participated in the main anniversary celebration in Holguín, chosen for its exemplary efforts to recover from last year's devastating hurricane season as well as its important contribution to the country's economy through its three nickel-processing plants and the good performance of the local tourist centre. A significant achievement by Holguín's health care centre has been to lower the infant mortality rate to only 3.5 per every 1,000 live births. Other factors that have improved the people's health in the province include the operation of 37 homes providing assistance to pregnant mothers, genetics services, intensive care units in pediatric and neonatal services, as well as the work of doctors and nurses who guarantee primary health care.

(Granma International, Prensa Latina, Cuban News Agency, Radio Cadena Agramonte)

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Cuba's Revolution Day Celebrated in Canada

In Canada, festive events celebrating Cuba's Revolution Day were held in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.


(Photo: Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with Cuba)

In Vancouver, more than 80 people attended an evening of politics, culture, and solidarity. Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with Cuba, one of the event organizers, reports that "Throughout the evening, special emphasis was put on the case of the Cuban 5 Heroes held in U.S. jails. Free the Cuban 5 Committee-Vancouver coordinator Sarah Alwell spoke to the crowd, drawing connections between the fight of the original July 26th rebels, and the Cuban 5 who continue to struggle against U.S. sponsored terrorism and for all Cubans, even from behind prison walls. It was in this spirit of struggle and art that Vancouver once again celebrated July 26th and the gains of the Cuban Revolution!"

The Table de concertation de solidarité Québéc-Cuba celebrated the occasion in Montreal with two events. The first was an outdoor gathering near Marché Maisonneuve. Group secretary Sean O'Donohue spoke to the significance of the date for the Cuban people to affirm their sovereignty. Genevieve Royer, on behalf of the organizing committee for the Montreal Day of Friendship with Cuba, announced that the 5th such day would be held on September 12, coinciding with the 11th anniversary of the arrest of the Cuban Five. Later in the day, the Table hosted an event at Café Balima where Montreal Consul for the Republic of Cuba Maria Estela Escobar spoke. She pointed out that Moncada was the spark which  lead to the overthrow of the Batista dictatorship and created the possibility for a nation-building project consistent with the people's aspirations. During a lively question and answer period, the consul answered questions about the role of women and youth in the Cuban Revolution, the situation of the Cuban Five and the Latin American people's continued resistance to U.S. imperialist dictate.

In Toronto on July 25, a group of more than 100 people celebrated Moncada Day with a political and cultural evening organized by the Toronto Forum on Cuba. Speaking on behalf of the organizers, Sabrina Johnson spoke about the significance of the anniversary within the context of the advances of the Cuban people today in defending and further developing their sovereign country. She summed up by saying, "the Cuban people have reaffirmed that they are not daunted by the caprices of Nature or the presence of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed on the island by a decadent empire involved in wars, crises and insurmountable contradictions. They'll continue to carry on, without giving up an inch of their independence, or any of their dreams of social justice for all." She expressed support and solidarity with the Cuban Revolution and all that the Revolution stands for in the world and also used the occasion to express support for the struggle of the Honduran people against the imperialist attacks they are facing. She then introduced the evening’s speakers, performing artists and special guests, which included Mr. Nam Nguyen, Minister Consul of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Martha Valdés de Sa, Consul of the Republic of Cuba in Toronto, thanked the Canadian people for their solidarity and expressed gratitude for all the assistance provided by Canadians to help Cuba recover from the economic devastation caused by the hurricanes that struck the island last year. She declared that, on this 56th anniversary of Moncada Day, the Cuban people continue in the spirit of rebellion and, in this regard, they stand with the present-day struggle of the Honduran people to restore the legitimate elected government of Manuel Zelaya. She vowed that the Cuban people are firm in their resolve to build their country in the face of the economic blockade imposed on Cuba for almost 50 years by the U.S.


Professor Keith Ellis recites the poetry of Cuba's National Poet Nicolás Guillén.

Her remarks were followed by poetry readings honouring Cuba and its cultural heritage by Professor Keith Ellis who read a selection by the National Poet of Cuba, Nicolás Guillén, as well as two works of his own. Carlos Angulo also recited two poems he wrote to honour Cuba.

José Martínez, who has been organizing in Toronto to help provide supplies to resistance forces who are in action in Honduras, gave an update on the situation there. He reported that President Zelaya is currently at Nicaragua's border with Honduras and that people have come there from all over the country to support his return. He stated that six cities have been taken over by the people and the roads to those cities are blockaded. In addition, thousands of people are protecting the Venezuelan embassy, the Cuban doctors and the independent radio stations in the country. He said that half a million people are in "permanent resistance" to the military coup and that they will keep fighting until they re-establish the constitutional government.

The meeting also announced an action in September to mark eleven years since the arrest and imprisonment of the Cuban Five. The gathering also enjoyed performances by Azteca Tonatzen and Skigh Johnson.

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For Your Information

Moncada Day, Cuba's National Day of Rebellion

For centuries, the Cuban people fought for their liberation from first Spanish then U.S. colonialism. This struggle was waged by a population predominantly made up of the descendants of African slaves brought into Cuba after the indigenous population was wiped out, as well as mulattos of mixed African and European descent. This national liberation struggle brought forth many outstanding fighters and leaders still venerated in Cuba and around the world today such as Jose Martí. As the 1800s came to a close, a republic had been established through the efforts of revolutionary Cuban forces lead by Martí, moving the people closer to achieving the dream of liberation and dignity. Yet the rising U.S. Empire would not stand for this. Ostensibly independent, U.S. intervention in Cuba, including direct occupation, was the norm from the early 20th century onwards. Through aggressive policies and coups d'état, the Fulgencio Batista puppet regime was brought to power in 1952, characterized by an unprecedented servility to the U.S. and its interests, thus undermining the republic and its constitution. In this context emerged the "Centenary Generation," led by Fidel Castro, which would bring 50 years of struggle against Cuban governments servile to the U.S. to a conclusion which favoured the people.


The Moncada Barracks shortly after the July 26, 1953 attack. The barracks have been converted into a school
and Museum of the Revolution where the bullet holes shown here can be seen to this day.

At that time, the youth were at the forefront of the struggle, and the University of Havana, where Fidel was at the time a law student, became one of the centres of opposition to the government. On July 26, 1953, the Cuban revolutionary forces in the form of a clandestine organization under the leadership of Fidel and Abel Santamaria launched two attacks against the Batista Regime, one against the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba and the other against the Carlos Manuel de Cespedes Barracks in the city of Bayamo. The Moncada Barracks was the military centre of the Batista regime in the south and its second largest and most powerful garrison. 

The clandestine revolutionary organization, as yet unnamed, was made up of young workers, students, unemployed persons, artisans and campesinos from different parts of the island. It had around 1,500 members and the organization affiliated itself with previous revolutionary Cuban figures such as Eduardo Chibás and José Martí. About 120 youths were part of these attacks, approximately 70 of whom were killed during or in the immediate aftermath of the event. Others, including Fidel, were subsequently arrested, tortured, tried and/or executed.

In response to the attacks, Batista's regime escalated its repression of the progressive forces as never before, launching mass arrests of any deemed suspicious, imposing extensive censorship and suspending constitutional rights. In other words, the reaction of the Batista regime was to immediately and viciously criminalize the youth for their aspirations for a better world. They were attacked as violent, troublemakers and slandered, just as the youth today fighting for another world are attacked. Batista's regime knew very well that though the forces were defeated, it would inspire the Cuban youth and revolutionaries, all those who wanted a new Cuba, to see the possibility of it, to think bravely and defiantly.

In May 1955, many, including Fidel, were released after an amnesty which was the result of the mass mobilization of Cubans in support of the imprisoned rebels. For example, starting in 1955, mothers of some prisoners and other Cuban women organized a campaign to free the imprisoned rebels. Civil society, including editors, intellectuals and even political leaders, issued a public appeal demanding "liberty for the political prisoners." That year, the Cuban Congress passed a bill granting general amnesty to political prisoners. After being signed by Batista, the imprisoned rebels were freed.


Flag of the July 26th Movement.

Though the battle was lost on July 26, 1953, the great significance of that day is that a bold stand was taken. The Cuban people planted their flag and said to all those willing, here is the battle, here is where to follow. It lead to the conditions which made it possible for the war to be won, to liberate Cuba from U.S. dictate and establish a people's government. The date on which the attack took place, July 26, 1953, is commemorated in the name of the revolutionary July 26th Movement which eventually took power in 1959. Thus, the July 26 attacks were a continuation of a long history of struggle in Cuba, and were a link in a long chain that led to the 1959 Revolution. Since the 1959 triumph of the revolution in Cuba, this day has been commemorated with the participation of millions of Cubans, and celebrations are held in a city chosen for its social and economic gains that year.

When Fidel was arrested after the attacks, he defended himself in the court. His four-hour defence was recorded by the court and became the platform for the July 26th Movement, today known world wide by the title "History Will Absolve Me," excerpted below:

"... Fundamental matters of principle are being debated here, the right of men to be free is on trial, the very foundations of our existence as a civilized and democratic nation are in the balance. [...]

"Why were we sure of the people's support? When we speak of the people we are not talking about those who live in comfort, the conservative elements of the nation, who welcome any repressive regime, any dictatorship, any despotism, prostrating themselves before the masters of the moment until they grind their foreheads into the ground. When we speak of struggle and we mention the people we mean the vast unredeemed masses, those to whom everyone makes promises and who are deceived by all; we mean the people who yearn for a better, more dignified and more just nation; who are moved

Raúl (left) and Fidel Castro leading Cuban revolutionaries in the Sierra Maestra, circa 1959.
by ancestral aspirations to justice, for they have suffered injustice and mockery generation after generation; those who long for great and wise changes in all aspects of their life; people who, to attain those changes, are ready to give even the very last breath they have when they believe in something or in someone, especially when they believe in themselves. The first condition of sincerity and good faith in any endeavour is to do precisely what nobody else ever does, that is, to speak with absolute clarity, without fear. The demagogues and professional politicians who manage to perform the miracle of being right about everything and of pleasing everyone are, necessarily, deceiving everyone about everything. The revolutionaries must proclaim their ideas courageously, define their principles and express their intentions so that no one is deceived, neither friend nor foe. [...]

"But I do not fear prison, as I do not fear the fury of the miserable tyrant who took the lives of 70 of my comrades. Condemn me. It does not matter. History will absolve me."

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