No. 17
August 13, 2026
August 13, 1926
Centenary of Birth of Fidel Castro
• Cubans'
Resistance to U.S. Attempts at Regime Change
Embodies Fidel's Indomitable Spirit
• Fidel's Revolutionary Example Inspires Millions to Fight for Sovereignty and Uphold Principle
• What Defends the Sovereignty of Cuba
• Petition to
Government of Canada
• Cuban President's Address to
International Meeting
of Communist and Workers' Parties
Video
• Fidel and the Palestinian Cause
Centenary of Birth of Fidel Castro
August 13, 1926
Cubans' Resistance to U.S. Attempts at Regime Change Embodies Fidel's Indomitable Spirit
First International Colloquium: Fidel, Legacy and Future held in Havana,
Cuba August 10-13, 2026
August 13, 2026 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Fidel Castro, historic leader of the Cuban Revolution and architect of Cuba's revolutionary nation-building project, whose life and deeds continue to inspire the people of Cuba and the whole world. On this occasion, the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) sends warmest greetings to the Communist Party of Cuba and to the heroic Cuban people. CPC(M-L) profoundly appreciates Fidel's contribution to opening the path to progress for humanity and standing with the peoples of the world in their striving for independence, peace and justice.
The legacy of Fidel Castro
is expressed today in the all-sided heroic resistance of the
Cuban people under the leadership of the Communist Party of
Cuba, to the increasingly violent, inhumane, desperate and
brutal genocide of the U.S. Trump administration whose aim is to
put an end to socialist Cuba, the life work of Fidel Castro. The
Cuban people's resistance over the last year has strengthened
their bonds of solidarity with the world's peoples including the
people of the U.S., while further isolating the U.S. Trump
administration. Canadians and Quebeckers condemn Canada's
cowardly betrayal of its longstanding friendly relations with
Cuba and capitulation to the U.S. which was on full display at
the United Nations General Assembly plenary on July 7. Canada
abstained during the vote on whether to hold the session, called
for by Cuba, to discuss the necessity of ending the U.S.
genocidal blockade. Then, breaking with its longstanding
position of voting in opposition to the blockade, abstained on
that vote as well.
Fidel's life epitomizes the striving of the Cuban people for their dignity, sovereignty, independence and right to self-determination. Fidel Castro's leadership in all facets of life -- the economy, education, science, culture, sport and international relations based on peace and friendship, to name just a few -- has left an indelible mark on modern Cuba. He laid the foundation for the flourishing of the Cuban people in their homeland and the important role Cuba plays in the world today, tenaciously defending its rights and sovereignty and that of the peoples worldwide as a matter of principle. This is what the U.S. imperialists cannot abide.
Despite the unprecedented hardship caused by the blockade and the most recent attacks of the Trump administration including increased sanctions on Cuba's leaders and a total fuel blockade launched on January 29 which threatens sanctions on any country that exports oil to Cuba, the Cuban people hold their heads high and prevail. Cubans, as Fidel Castro taught them, have defended the revolution and Cuba's sovereignty against every attack through more than 70 years of the crippling U.S. financial and economic blockade.
Cuba announced the launch of the "100 Años con Fidel" (100 Years with Fidel) on August 13, 2025 with events throughout the year and celebrations on August 13, 2026, the 100th anniversary of his birth, and in November, the 10th anniversary of his death. The celebrations include events in Cuba and globally to discuss the ideas of Fidel Castro, study of his speeches and writings, solidarity actions, meetings in Cuba and internationally, intensified efforts to raise funds and material aid for Cuba and cultural events of many types. On May Day more than 5 million Cubans marched in support of their government and to date 6.2 million Cubans have signed the I Sign for Cuba pledge in support of their government.
One of the outstanding contributions to the Fidel Castro
centenary celebrations is the publication by Vietnam of a
24-volume Spanish-language collection of selected works of Fidel
Castro -- speeches, articles, interviews, messages and many
other important documents produced throughout his revolutionary
career. It is a profound tribute to the longstanding fraternal
ties between the Vietnamese people and Cuban people established
during Vietnam's war of liberation against U.S. imperialism. At
that time Cuba provided immeasurable assistance to the
Vietnamese people, including annual shipments of 10,000 tons of
sugar, medical teams, construction engineers, livestock and
poultry genetic centres, as well as military advisors and other
volunteers. Vietnam's Su That (Truth) National Political
Publishing House informs that it will continue working with the
Fidel Castro Center to prepare the English and Vietnamese
editions.
Book launch August 5, 2026 of 24-volume Spanish-language
collection of selected works of Fidel Castro
Ocean Press, to mark the centenary of Castro's birth, highlighted a comprehensive collection of his key writings, books and memoirs including his memoir of his childhood and youth, My Early Years, with an introduction by Colombian writer and journalist Gabriel García Márquez.
On August 10-13, 2026, the First International Colloquium: Fidel, Legacy and Future took place at the Havana Convention Centre with the participation of more than 1,500 delegates from 63 countries. It was organized around three themes: celebrating the 100 years of the life and thought of Fidel Castro; combating the U.S. blockade, sanctions and disinformation against Cuba, and strengthening and supporting the Cuban Revolution.
The event began with a standing ovation with delegates shouting "I am Fidel" and "Long Live a Free and Sovereign Cuba!"
Youth session at the First International Colloquium: Fidel, Legacy and Future
Other activities are taking place across Cuba, many focusing on the youth and, on August 13, cultural galas, floral offerings, and mass tributes dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Fidel Castro.
On this occasion CPC(M-L) calls on everyone to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Fidel Castro by stepping up support for socialist Cuba and the Cuban people. Let us strengthen our united efforts to oppose the ongoing U.S. military threats and anti-communist blackmail and disinformation against Cuba so as to uphold Cuba's right to be and in so doing defend the sovereignty of all nations and peoples and the rights of all to live in peace.
(With files from teleSUR, Cuban Foreign Ministry, Nhan Dan, TML.)
Fidel's Revolutionary Example Inspires Millions to Fight for Sovereignty and Uphold Principle
The life and work of Fidel Castro
lives on in the Cuban people. Under a new generation of
leadership, they continue to elaborate and implement the
human-centred outlook developed in Cuba under his leadership,
which mobilizes them to exercise control over their own affairs
to meet the conditions they face today and will face in the
future. They are the implacable bulwark steadfastly defending
Cuba's socialist nation-building project to guarantee the
people's well-being against U.S. aggression.
In a tribute to Fidel at the time of his death, millions of Cubans signed the oath to the "Concept of Revolution" which Fidel declared on May 1, 2000. The oath concludes: "Revolution means unity; it is independence, it is fighting for our dreams of justice for Cuba and for the world, which is the foundation of our patriotism, our socialism and our internationalism."
Fidel presents his "Concept of Revolution"
during 2000 May Day speech in Havana.
This is what we see every day as the Cuban people unite to face the difficulties caused by the tightening genocidal U.S. blockade, and also the U.S.'s repeated inclusion of Cuba on its spurious list of state sponsors of terrorism. The people's unity and fidelity to the Cuban Revolution has been amply demonstrated in their repeated defeat of U.S. attempts to sow counter-revolution. From the early days of the Revolution to the brutal intensification of the blockade today, the Cuban government and people have defeated U.S. interference and isolated and blocked the counter-revolutionary elements operating in Florida and inside the country.
Fidel's revolutionary spirit and profound generosity lives on in the workers, youth and students, health professionals, intellectuals and teachers who have proven their revolutionary mettle as they raise the level of organization and social responsibility to overcome many difficulties to continue living a life of dignity and freedom. This spirit is realized through the Communist Party, government, revolutionary organizations and organizations at all levels, that marshal their collective tenacity, resourcefulness and courage, to meet and prevail over the new challenges and hardships placed in their way by the U.S. today.
Facing the increasingly brutal economic and financial blockade of the U.S., Cubans are united in confronting all the difficulties and safeguarding the Revolution with practical measures to overcome the problems they face. Basing themselves on the experience of Fidel and the Revolution and their own resourcefulness and creativity, they are affirming that it is the peoples and their striving for rights and to affirm their right to be that make history, not the narrow anti-human aims and of use of force by the imperialists.
The Cuban people are affirming their right to be with the support of the peoples of the world, with whom they have always shared weal and woe. The internationalism and principles espoused by Fidel are not only integral to the Cuban people but also imbue the peoples of the world who are rising to the occasion to assist Cuba however they can, as Cuba has always done for others. Fidel's example lives on in the hearts and minds of millions of people throughout the world who are fighting for peace, justice, dignity and freedom. Despite this, the U.S. imperialists think that by using slanders, blackmail and force they can isolate Cuba. The global support being rallied around Cuba again confirms that the world stands with Cuba and it is the U.S. which stands isolated.
"Fidel's permanent teaching is that it can be done, that man is capable of overcoming the harshest conditions if his will to win does not falter, he makes a correct assessment of each situation and does not renounce his just and noble principles," Raúl Castro pointed out. It is this revolutionary spirit that continues to guide the Cuban people on the road to guaranteeing their sovereignty and independence.
¡Hasta la Victoria
Siempre, Comandante!
¡Venceremos!
Fidel Castro and the victorious rebel forces
are welcomed in Havana, January 8, 1959.
Fidel Castro, while leading the Cuban people
to defeat the U.S. attempted invasion at Playa Girón, makes the
historic declaration establishing the socialist character of the
Cuban Revolution, April 16, 1961.
What Defends the Sovereignty of Cuba
March of the Fighting Peoples in Havana
against escalating U.S. threats and for Cuba's right to be,
January 16, 2026
[...] We must say how we see things. It is perhaps the principle of sovereignty, is it perhaps the law, that has protected and continues to protect our country in the face of Yankee invasion? No one believes this. If it were the law, if it were the principle of sovereignty that was protecting our country, it is certain that this revolution would have disappeared from the face of the earth.
What has protected this
revolution, what made it possible, was the blood of the sons of
this country, the bloody fighting against the bailiffs and
against the armies of Batista, the bloody fighting against the
mercenaries, the willingness here to fight to the last man in
defence of the revolution -- as shown in the October crisis --
and the conviction of the imperialists that here they will never
be able to execute a manoeuvre or military parade. What defends
this revolution is not a simple abstract legal principle that is
recognized internationally.
What defends this revolution is the unity of our people, their
revolutionary consciousness, their combative spirit, and their
decision to die to the last man in defence of the revolution and
the country. I do not believe that even our enemies have any
doubts about the mettle and the spirit of this people. What
defends the sovereignty of a country or a just cause is a people
who are capable of feeling this cause as its own, capable of
having a profound conviction about the justice of this cause,
and the decision to defend it at any price. This is precisely
what protects our revolution and what protects the sovereignty
of our country in the face of the imperialist threat that has
always existed here.
May Day in Havana, May 1, 2026
(Comments on Czechoslovakia, August 24, 1968)
Fidel Is Fidel
Rally in tribute to Fidel in Santiago de Cuba, December 3, 2016
Excerpt of the speech delivered by Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, at that time First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, at the Posthumous Tribute to the Commander in Chief of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz, in the Plaza Mayor General Antonio Maceo Grajales, Santiago de Cuba, December 3, 2016.
[...]
With good reason, dear friend Bouteflika, President of Algeria, said that Fidel had the extraordinary ability to travel to the future, come back and explain it. On July 26, 1989, in the city of Camagüey, the Commander in Chief predicted, two-and-a-half years in advance, the disappearance of the Soviet Union and the socialist camp, and assured the world that if these circumstances occurred, Cuba would continue defending the banners of socialism.
Fidel's authority and his
intimate relationship with the people were decisive for the
heroic resistance of the country in the dramatic years of the
Special Period (during the 1990s) when the Gross Domestic
Product fell by 34.8 per cent and the diet of Cubans
significantly deteriorated, we suffered blackouts from 16 to 20
hours a day and a large part of the industry and public
transport were paralyzed. Despite this, it was possible to
preserve public health and education for our entire population.
The meetings of the Party in the territories come to mind: eastern, in the city of Holguín; central, in the city of Santa Clara, and western, in the capital of the republic, Havana, held in July 1994 to analyze how to face with greater efficiency and cohesion the challenges of the Special Period, the growing imperialist blockade and the media campaigns aimed at sowing discouragement among citizens. From those meetings, including the one in the west, which Fidel chaired, we all emerged convinced that with the strength and intelligence of the cohesive masses under the leadership of the Party, the Special Period could and would be turned into a new victorious battle in the history of the homeland.
At that time, few in the world bet on our ability to resist and win in the face of adversity and the reinforced enemy siege. However, our people under the leadership of Fidel gave an unforgettable lesson in firmness and loyalty to the principles of the Revolution.
When recalling those difficult moments, I believe it is fair and pertinent to return to what I said about Fidel on July 26, 1994 -- one of the most difficult years -- on the Isle of Youth, more than 22 years ago, I quote: "the most enlightened son of Cuba in this century, the one who showed us that it was possible to attempt the conquest of the Moncada Garrison; that yes, that setback could be turned into a victory," which we achieved five years, five months and five days later, that glorious January 1, 1959, the latter added to the exact words I said on that occasion (Applause).
He showed us "that it was possible to reach the coasts of Cuba on the Granma yacht; that it was possible to resist the enemy, hunger, rain and cold, and organize a revolutionary army in the Sierra Maestra after the debacle of Alegría de Pío; that it was possible to open new guerrilla fronts in the province of Oriente, with Almeida's columns and ours; that the great offensive of more than 10,000 soldiers could be defeated with 300 rifles," after which Che wrote in his Campaign Diary that with that victory the backbone of the army of tyranny had been broken: "That the epic of Maceo and Gómez could be repeated, extending the fight from the east to the west of the island with the columns of Che and Camilo; that the tyranny of Batista, backed by U.S. imperialism could be overthrown, with the support of all the people."
He was the "one who taught us that it could be defeated in 72 hours" and even less, "the mercenary invasion of Playa Girón and at the same time continue the campaign to eradicate illiteracy in one year," as was achieved in 1961.
That it was possible to proclaim the socialist character of the Revolution 90 miles from the empire, and when its warships were advancing towards Cuba, behind the troops of the mercenary brigade; that it was possible to firmly maintain the inalienable principles of our sovereignty without fearing the nuclear blackmail of the United States in the days of the Missile Crisis in October 1962.
"That yes, solidarity aid could be sent to other brother nations in the fight against colonial oppression, external aggression and racism.
"That the South African racists could be defeated, saving the territorial integrity of Angola, forcing the independence of Namibia and dealing a heavy blow to the apartheid regime.
"That Cuba could be turned into a
medical power, reduce infant mortality to the lowest rate in the
Third World, first, and in the other rich world later;
because at least on this continent we have a lower infant
mortality rate of children under one year of age than in Canada
and the United States itself (Applause),
and,
in turn, considerably increase the life expectancy of our
population.
"That Cuba could be transformed into a great scientific centre, advance in the modern and decisive fields of genetic engineering and biotechnology; insert ourselves into the closed preserve of the international pharmaceutical trade; develop tourism, despite the U.S. blockade; build causeways in the sea to make Cuba an increasingly attractive archipelago, obtaining a growing income of foreign currency from our natural beauty.
"That it is possible to resist, survive and develop without renouncing the principles or the conquests of socialism in the unipolar and omnipotent world of the transnationals that emerged after the collapse of the socialist camp in Europe and the disintegration of the Soviet Union.
"Fidel's permanent teaching is that it can be done, that man is capable of overcoming the harshest conditions if his will to win does not falter, he makes a correct assessment of each situation and does not renounce his just and noble principles."
Those words I expressed more than two decades ago about a man who, after the disaster of the first fight in Alegría de Pío, of which the day after tomorrow will be the 60th anniversary, never lost faith in victory, and 13 days later, already in the mountains of the Sierra Maestra, on December 18 of the aforementioned year, upon gathering seven rifles and a handful of combatants, he exclaimed: "Now we have won the war!"
That is the undefeated Fidel who summons us with his example and with the demonstration that Yes, it was possible, and yes, it can and will be possible! (Applause and exclamations of: "Yes, we can!) In other words, I repeat that it demonstrated that yes, it was possible, and yes, it can and will be possible to overcome any obstacle, threat or turbulence in our firm commitment to build socialism in Cuba, which is the same as saying that it will guarantee the independence and sovereignty of the homeland!
[...]
(Razones de Cuba, November, 25, 2019. Translated from the original Spanish by TML.)
Petition to Government of
Canada
The Canadian Network on Cuba on August 12 has launched a new petition in support of Cuba. Sponsored by MP Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre), the petition closes on October 11, at 2:22 pm (EDT).
TML calls on everyone to go all out to get signatures for
the petition to send a clear message that Canadians and
Quebeckers call on the Government of Canada to take a
principled stand in support of Cuba in keeping with
longstanding friendly relations between Canada and Cuba. This
is especially important given Canada's abstention at the July
7 vote at the UN General Assembly that marked a break from the
well-established position of voting in support of Cuba's call
that the U.S. criminal blockade of Cuba be ended. This
petition intends to send a clear message in advance of the
annual vote at the UN to end the U.S. blockade of Cuba that
Canada msut end its conciliation with the U.S. on this crucial
matter.
Whereas:
- Canada and Cuba have maintained unbroken diplomatic and cultural ties for over eighty years, with Canadian tourists accounting for over one third of the island's international visitors each year;
- The United States of America has maintained a unilateral economic blockade of Cuba since 1960, condemned by international observers and legal experts as a form of collective punishment; and
- For thirty-three consecutive years, Canada has voted in support of the annual resolution of the United Nations General Assembly calling for an end to the United States embargo against Cuba.
We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to:
1. Deepen and defend economic and cultural exchanges between Canada and Cuba in the face of United States aggression;
2. Enforce the Foreign Extraterritorial Measures Act, to protect Canadian corporations who do business in Cuba against United States sanctions;
3. Lift the Government of Canada's advisory against non-essential travel to Cuba and expand opportunities for tourism and trade; and
4. Reaffirm Canada's historic opposition to the United States embargo against Cuba at the United Nations and support the annual resolution on the Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo.
To sign the petition on the Parliament of Canada website, click here.
Please remember to open the confirmation email to complete the signature process.
Cuban President's Address to
International
Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties
.
TML is posting below the speech delivered by Miguel Díaz-Canel, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, at the closing ceremony of the 24th International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties at the Convention Centre in Havana, Cuba, August 8, 2026, "Year of the Centennial of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz."
"Cuba Doesn't Have to Indoctrinate Anyone. It Doesn't have to Export Ideas. History Teaches Us Lessons"
Comrades of the communist and
workers' parties of the world;
[...]
It is an honor to have celebrated this meeting in the context of Fidel Castro's Centenary, whose undeniable legacy calls us to confront the enormous challenges of this turbulent and threatening present we are living through.
Cuba, island of dignity and historical resistance against imperialism, and today also against fascism, welcomes you with open arms and thanks you for your courage and determination in coming here, amidst so much pressure, blackmail, and lies.
At the previous meeting in Havana, in October 2022, representatives of communist and workers' parties from more than 60 countries, who gathered at that time, agreed to warn about the dangerous situation humanity was facing. Almost four years later, we can reaffirm, without a doubt, that the world is going through one of its most uncertain and dangerous periods.
We are living through a period of extreme intensification of capitalist contradictions: excessive concentration of wealth in the hands of a few, inequalities in its distribution, environmental destruction, and wars fought over markets, resources, and spheres of influence.
Marxist-Leninist analysis remains fully relevant in asserting that these crises are not accidents, but rather the result of the laws governing the development of monopoly and imperialist capitalism.
Capitalism, consumed by its own contradictions, has unleashed a perfect storm: wars of aggression in Eastern Europe and the Middle East; open genocide in Gaza; a climate crisis that is no longer a warning, but a reality; structural hunger that devours millions; and an external debt that the peoples of the Global South will never be able to repay, because it was conceived to enslave us, not to develop us.
In this scenario, the resurgence of fascism sends us a stark warning. Fidel warned us about this years ago, about how it was transforming its appearance, but maintaining its essence. Today we denounce the reestablishment of fascist regimes around the world.
Nationalism, hegemony, supremacy, and racial discrimination; xenophobia, displacement, and population extermination; wars of conquest for territories and natural resources; punishments that fall upon millions of human beings; and the proscription of ideologies and civil liberties are unmistakable features of this current fascism and its Hitlerian predecessor.
The genocide in Gaza and its shameful public broadcast are not enough for them; they are now attempting to replicate it in Cuba through an aggressive and criminal policy, one that is both stated and denied, both refuted and intensified without any attempt at concealment.
The total suffocation to which we are subjected constitutes a collective punishment that seeks, through the deprivation of the most basic resources and services necessary for survival, to foster exhaustion, discouragement, and social division, with the objective of destroying the Cuban socialist project.
Those who sadistically devise an energy blockade against an entire nation, leaving a humanitarian toll of alarming proportions that deprives Cuban children of their lives at birth, reduces the life expectancy of cancer patients, and denies our people access to medicine, food, electricity, water, transportation, and many other resources for a full life, can be called nothing less than criminals and fascists.
I am going to give you some data on the impacts of the blockade on Cuban society.
Particularly in the energy sector: we had recovered, with enormous effort, more than 1,400 megawatts of power for electricity generation in a group of distributed generation units. These plants are currently not generating power due to a lack of fuel; they run on diesel and fuel oil. If we had those 1,400 megawatts available every day, the troublesome blackouts in Cuba would only last three hours, not twenty or more hours as our people suffer today.
In healthcare, such a sensitive issue, and one where you are all aware of the full potential of our universal and free healthcare system, with opportunities for everyone, with things we know how to do: there are 98,500 patients on the surgical waiting list, including 12,000 children. These are surgeries we can perform in Cuba, but we lack the resources; we lack the energy to power our operating rooms.
There are 34,000 pregnant women who cannot receive enough prenatal ultrasounds during their pregnancies.
There are 67,000 children under one-year-old who have been born in recent months without up-to-date immunization schedules, even though vaccinations in Cuba and our immunization system were always current.
There are 117,000 adults and 1,200 children with cancer who are not receiving adequate treatments, and we have to resort to secondary or tertiary therapies.
There are 16,000 patients experiencing difficulties accessing the services they need for radiotherapy, 12,400 for chemotherapy, and 3,000 for hemodialysis. Only 30 per cent of the essential medicines are available, even though we are capable of producing all of our own.
The ambulance availability rate is only 22 per cent. Medical transport is overwhelmed.
We are unable to purchase cobalt-60 sources for cancer treatments, and there are delays in obtaining licenses to release medical supplies at ports, also due to the refusal of international shipping companies, which have been pressured by U.S. imperialism not to bring the necessary goods to Cuba.
And as if this weren't enough, we had always maintained infant mortality rates between 4 and 5, which are first-world infant mortality rates; however, in recent years, our rate has doubled and is currently over 9.8.
Wherever any meticulously calculated genocide may appear or find relief, the henchmen of this ignominious policy will be there, ready to tighten the noose of suffocation, if that were even possible.
Their plans conceive of the Cuban people only as a tool, a dying society, to turn against the government and achieve their sinister aims of overthrowing the Revolution. This is not our own interpretation; it has been written and conceived this way for over sixty years by the State Department.
All of this that I have described constitutes flagrant violations of international law and human rights, condemned by the vast majority of the international community, as recently occurred at the United Nations where 136 nations supported Cuba in its just denunciation.
However, the world based on laws and norms for peaceful and civilized coexistence among states has disappeared, replaced by the will of the strongest and most powerful, to the detriment of the poorest nations.
We are living through the most dangerous time since the Cuban Missile Crisis. Alongside the economic war, Cuba is being subjected to a high-intensity unconventional war through digital subversion, the financing of internal mercenaries, media smear campaigns, and networks of influence that attempt to disguise blatant intervention as "humanitarian aid."
In this regard, we are not at all surprised by the recent revelations in major U.S. media outlets regarding an increase in CIA operations in Cuba to subvert the internal order. These are not random leaks, as they are presented, but part of the deliberate plan of the U.S. regime to wage psychological warfare against Cuba.
In the height of cynicism and perversity, the Secretary of State recently declared that U.S. sanctions against the Cuban regime will only be tightened. "What we are trying to teach them," he said, "is that there are no escape valves."
This is an unabashed admission that a difficult situation exists in Cuba as a consequence of an unprecedented economic war. This statement constitutes an open threat of extermination against an entire people if they do not submit to the dictates of the empire.
The United States government has intensified its military threats and updated its "regime change" doctrine, maintains Cuba on the spurious list of state sponsors of terrorism, and, to top it all off, has invented the ridiculous accusation of "espionage power" or hotbed of subversion of the so-called radical terrorist left, of which it seems all of us here are a part, a pathetic and fanciful name, only credible in their psychotic minds, but which they use to confuse, justify more punishments and legitimize their aggressions.
On this matter, United Nations experts emphasized that the illegal unilateral coercive measures imposed by the United States against Cuba violate Article 2 of the UN Charter and are part of a broader regime change strategy that encompasses decades of embargo against Cuba.
"The United States government must end all threats and hostile acts against Cuba's sovereignty and revoke all measures it has imposed on the country that are contrary to international law," the experts said.
They added: "The Security Council and the General Assembly must urgently address these threats as a matter of international peace and security."
There can be no greater act of cynicism than for the perpetrator to try to portray itself as the victim, when its misdeeds have been public and notorious for decades. The United States has no moral authority or right to single out Cuba, which has arguably been the nation most spied on by them and with the largest funds for economic and ideological subversion.
Cuba does not have to indoctrinate anyone. It does not have to export ideas. History teaches us lessons, showing the depths to which empires can sink to satisfy their insatiable appetite for domination and possession of the material and human resources of other nations.
In this meeting, and before you, we denounce the criminal policy of the United States against Cuba, and also those who remain silent and tolerate the excesses of the emboldened American fascist far right, which lies, steals, kills, and pretends to be the arbiter of all destinies.
The United States blockade only works because of the complicity of those who fear the power of Washington more than the judgment of history. The world cannot become complicit in another genocide.
Every time a part of the world remains silent in the face of aggression against Cuba, international law is weakened. Every time a government accepts the illegitimate sanctions of the United States, the principle of non-intervention is eroded. Every time a company is pressured to abandon its investments in Cuba and others do not decide to do so for fear of reprisals, the economic dictatorship of a single power is strengthened.
Faced with this proven and undeniable reality, Cuba has defended itself, within its legitimate rights, as any country in the world would. The Cuban people have also counted on the solidarity of men and women with a strong sense of justice and morality, aware that reason and truth are on our side, many of whom are now being persecuted or threatened for their solidarity activism.
The resurgence of McCarthyism in its worst form and with a transnational reach, which places Cuba at the center of its irrational crusade, attempts not only to criminalize solidarity with Cuba or create a new false pretext for its aggression, but also to silence dissenting voices against the world order they want to impose.
What common cause unites the left and progressive movements around the world? Undoubtedly, social justice; labor and children's rights; the defense of feminist, gender, and racial causes; the care and preservation of the environment; popular participation; historical memory and respect for Indigenous Peoples; World peace and harmony among nations; international solidarity, among many other things that are generally projected in terms of human dignity.
Can anyone with a rational mind believe that the left or progressive forces are therefore a danger to humanity? The obvious answer is no.
Only fascism can see such a danger in the left, because it seeks to impose by force an ideology and value system that are completely contrary to it; that is why, in its current rise, it desperately seeks to criminalize, neutralize, and silence it.
The extermination of the Palestinians in Gaza, the coup in Venezuela, the collective punishment of the Cuban people are events serious enough not to remain passive. Tomorrow, any nation could end up like Gaza or Cuba if fascism is not confronted. The key lies with the people, in their awareness, their mobilization, and their international unity.
Faced with this suffocation, Cuba has not yielded. We have answers that prove it: the COVID-19 vaccines, food production using agroecological techniques amidst scarcity, the advance of clean energy, popular participation in neighborhoods, and the defense of the entire territory by a people transformed into militias and ready to defend their self-determination, their independence, and sovereignty.
Yes, we have many shortcomings. We are burdened by blackouts, water shortages, inflation, and long lines. But no material lack has extinguished the flame of solidarity, in which Fidel raised us, nor have we renounced Martí's principle that "homeland is humanity" (Applause).
One fact that confirms this is that in these final days of the school year, tense and difficult like no other, 30,185 young professionals have graduated from Cuban universities, 735 of them from 62 countries who were trained in Cuba. And a statistic we are honored to share: 23 new Palestinian doctors and five American doctors (Applause).
The people's response, under the leadership of the Communist Party of Cuba, has been firm and creative resistance, unity, the defense of their achievements, and the updating of their economic and social model, without ever renouncing the principles of socialism and without yielding to pressure or blackmail. This capacity to resist and transform has its roots, firmer than ever, in the thought and action of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz (Applause).
Fidel understood, like few others, the need to combine ideological firmness with tactical flexibility. He taught us that "Marxism-Leninism is not a dead doctrine, not a catechism, but a method, a guide, an instrument for concretely solving life's problems."
Cuba works under this conception on the uncharted path of building socialism, as Army General Raúl Castro Ruz also once stated. Not even the classical Marxists could have ever imagined how to do it on a small island, threatened by the largest empire in the history of humankind and completely blockaded, its state cut off from all sources of resources, financing, and trade.
Faced with this dilemma, it is necessary to produce and generate wealth to redistribute it with the greatest possible social justice and to preserve the historic and essential achievements of the Revolution in strategic areas such as health, education, culture, science, energy, and communications.
Doing so will be everyone's task, from state-owned and non-state enterprises, along with other forms of economic management that together make up the Cuban business network, all focused on a single goal: building the prosperous and sustainable socialism that the heroic Cuban people deserve.
I know that the topic of economic and social transformations has been the subject of much reporting and debate. However, I want to emphasize some key concepts: this is a process to revitalize the economy, not to establish capitalism; there will be no rampant privatization, the fundamental means of production remain in the hands of the people, and above all, national sovereignty and independence are preserved.
For such a complex process, the Communist Party of Cuba, as the supreme leading force of the State and society, stands as the primary authority responsible for its direction, coordination, and control.
The Party will continue to be the vigilant guardian of the interests of the people, the working class, the social gains, and the social justice that has driven the Revolution since its inception. It is not, nor will it ever be, a party of elites or lobbies. Its role as the sole party requires it to be increasingly democratic and representative, as Raúl has called upon us to be on so many occasions, without ever losing sight of the people, the Revolution, and socialism. (Applause)
In a world where attempts are made to convince us that there are no alternatives, our common task is to demonstrate with facts that there are alternatives, that socialism remains the only realistic and humane way out of capitalist barbarism, as scientific Marxism taught.
Dear comrades in struggle:
Today, on the centenary of his birth, Fidel is not physically present, but his presence is stronger than ever. What did the Commander-in-Chief bequeath to us? He bequeathed us the certainty that dreams are won by defending ideas; he left us the lesson that internationalism is not just a phrase, but an attitude that should distinguish us; he taught us the conviction that socialism is the only path to save humanity from the abyss.
Fidel was the first to denounce neoliberal globalization as the empire of death, and also the first to raise his voice for a better world for all.
He taught us that the struggle for the preservation of the environment and the human species is also a socialist battle, that science must be at the service of the people, and that the unity of revolutionaries is more important than any tactical differences.
In Fidel, we find not only a historical leader, but a school of revolutionary work: to study, analyze, anticipate, listen to the people, and act with boldness and honesty. As he declared amidst the worst threats: "If what the imperialists want for peace is for us to stop being revolutionaries, we will not stop being revolutionaries, we will never lower our flag!" (Applause.)
Brothers and sisters:
May this meeting in Havana, in Fidel's homeland, serve to renew our commitment, coordinate our actions, and strengthen our conviction that the organized working class, guided by its vanguard parties, can change history. The moment demands more than declarations of principles. It demands a qualitative leap in our international articulation and coordination. We, the communist and workers' parties, have the historic duty to weave a network of effective solidarity, one that is not limited to statements but translates into concrete actions:
To break the fascist media blockade, using platforms to disseminate the truth about Cuba, Palestine, and all peoples under aggression.
To stand with the Cuban people in their just struggle for the lifting of the criminal blockade against Cuba, mobilizing parliaments, unions, and social movements.
To strengthen the mechanisms of economic and technological cooperation between our countries and organizations.
And, fundamentally, to advance the theoretical debate on 21st-century socialism, adapting Marxist-Leninist principles to the new conditions of the digital revolution, communication, and the ecological crisis, without ever abandoning the central objective: the full dignity of humankind.
Furthermore, I call for self-criticism. It is not enough to condemn the empire; we must build popular power at the grassroots level, win the streets, the neighborhoods, the factories, the schools. The unity of communists must be solid, but as flexible as Fidel's intelligence in engaging in dialogue with all progressive sectors. Unity is not uniformity; unity is the will to fight and to win together! (Applause.)
Faced with the imperialist offensive and the structural crisis of capitalism, communist and workers' parties are called to play a vanguard role, not only in the electoral or institutional arena, but -- and above all -- in the organization, politicization, and mobilization of the working class under the complex conditions imposed by contemporary capitalism.
It is our responsibility to strengthen the unity of the international communist movement, respecting the diversity of experiences, but with strategic clarity in the face of the common enemy: imperialism, fascism, and monopoly capital.
We must deepen our political and ideological work, challenge cultural hegemony, and confront the disinformation machinery that seeks to present capitalism as the only possible future.
We must organize the working class and popular sectors in the new realities of work, where digitalization, automation, and the platform economy change the forms of exploitation, but not its essence.
Brothers and sisters in arms:
Despite the military might of the United States, the international communist movement does not back down; it resists and stands firm (Applause).
It is impossible to predict how long this imperial offensive will last. We may yet see more aggression and more blockades, but we have the certainty, inherited from our own history, that the future belongs to those who dream and build, not to those who destroy and lie.
Defending Cuba with strength and urgency means halting the advance of supremacist, racist, xenophobic, elitist, and exclusionary ideas, enemies of true freedom and human emancipation.
Defending Cuba means fighting against 21st-century colonialism, against hegemony, against the pretension that a single country should decide the destiny of all. Comrades, on the eve of Fidel's centenary, I call upon you to redouble your efforts.
Let us not be content with mere survival; Let us aspire to build together a world where the word "solidarity" is not merely an ornament, but the driving force behind everything. Where children do not die of hunger while food is thrown into the sea. Where science heals, not profits. Where politics is, as Che said, the art of serving others.
Always onward to victory, always! (Exclamations of: "Always!")
Long live Fidel on his Centennial and forever! (Exclamations of: "Long live!")
Long live the unity of the communists! (Exclamations of: "Long live!")
Long live the struggle of our peoples! (Exclamations of: "Long live!")
(Applause.)
(President's Office, Government of Cuba)
Video
Fidel and the Palestinian Cause
Fidel's internationalism and what Cuba stands for is no better epitomized than by Cuba's support for the Palestinian people, right from the start of the Cuban Revolution. Posted below is a 2026 video produced by teleSUR titled Fidel and the Palestinian Cause, republished by the Fidel Castro Center on its YouTube channel.
TML encourages people to visit the website (www.fidelcastro.cu) and YouTube channel of the Fidel Castro Center to learn more about the legendary leader of the Cuban Revolution on the 100th anniversary of his birth.
Note
The video above can be viewed with AI-generated subtitles in various languages including French and English as follows:
- start the video and click on the gear icon
- click on Captions
- select Auto-translate and choose the desired language.
(To access articles individually click on the black headline.)
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca