In a significant show of solidarity, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel led a massive demonstration in Havana in support of the Palestinians.
This protest, critical of the United States for its backing of Israel, saw the participation of more than 100,000 Havana residents, according to the Interior Ministry’s count published on the X platform.
The march, initiated by the Young Communist League, took place along the Malecon, Havana’s coastal road where the U.S. Embassy is located.
President Diaz-Canel, joined by his wife Lis Cuesta and Prime Minister Manuel Marrero, led the demonstrators who, for about an hour, waved Palestinian flags and carried banners reading “Free Palestine” and “No to Genocide. Long Live Palestine.”
The demonstration coincided with a visit to the capital by the European Union’s Special Representative for Human Rights, Eamon Gilmore.
It was organized to encourage a ceasefire in the conflict in Gaza and saw the participation of students and employees of public companies.
Cristina Diaz, a student at the University of Havana, told Agence France-Presse, “What Cuban youth are demanding in this march is a ceasefire.” She added, “It’s naive to think what’s happening in Gaza is a war. It’s genocide.”
This event marked the largest demonstration in Cuba since the outbreak of the conflict that began with an unprecedented attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, which, according to Israeli authorities, resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
Hamas and other Palestinian factions are reportedly holding about 240 hostages in Gaza since the attack.
In response, Israel has conducted a devastating bombing campaign on the Gaza Strip, resulting in 14,854 deaths, as per Hamas’s figures.
This large-scale demonstration in Cuba highlights the global attention and concern regarding the escalating conflict in Gaza and the broader Israeli-Palestinian issue.
