July
26
71st Anniversary of Assault on the Moncada and
Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Barracks
Stand with the Cuban People and Their Revolution!
Commemoration of 70th anniversary
of the attack on Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes
Barracks, July 26, 2023.
July 26 marks one of the most important dates celebrated in Cuba, Moncada Day or the National Day of Rebellion. Seventy-one years ago on that day, revolutionary youth led by Fidel Castro launched an attack on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Barracks in Santiago de Cuba and Bayamo respectively, two of the main garrisons of the reactionary dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. Moncada in particular was the regime's military stronghold in the south of Cuba, the second largest barracks in the country and a symbol of its power. The goal was to seize the weapons and distribute them to the people and spark a national uprising that would not only overthrow the Batista dictatorship but also establish Cuba's independence and sovereignty. The attacks were carried out by an organization that was created in 1952, under the leadership of Fidel Castro.
Of the 120 or so youth who were part of the attacks, approximately 70 were killed and many others were later tortured and executed. The survivors, including Fidel Castro, were subsequently put on trial and sentenced to long prison terms. At his trial, with great prescience, Fidel Castro delivered his famous speech ôHistory Will Absolve Meö which laid out the national and social goals of the revolutionary movement that eventually triumphed over the dictatorship on January 1, 1959.
Top: the Moncada martyrs; Fidel
imprisoned after the Moncada attack. Bottom: Fidel, demanding
the right
to defend himself, delivers his famous "History Will Absolve Me"
speech.
Most of the Moncada fighters who had been imprisoned, including Fidel Castro, were released after they won amnesty in May 1955 due to the broad mobilization of support from the Cuban people for the aims of the action. They would later regroup in Mexico, joined by Che Guevara and others, returning to continue the armed struggle a year and a half later.
Above,
Raúl Castro (far left), Fidel
Castro (centre) and other Moncada combatants are released from
prison,
May 1955.
This audacious action became the rallying cry for the fight of the youth of Cuba for a bright future for themselves and the nation. It played a decisive role in galvanizing the struggle of the Cuban people to affirm their sovereignty, ultimately leading to the victory of the Cuban Revolution in 1959. The action also stirred the revolutionary spirit of the peoples of the world.
To this day, this
bold action on July 26, 1953 symbolizes the
revolutionary spirit and audacity of the Cuban people. It
symbolizes
their recognition of their right to decide their own fate free
from
foreign interference or domination. It is this same spirit of
defiance
that has enabled Cuba to
not only withstand the genocidal blockade by the U.S.
imperialists, but
to consolidate the Revolution and provide for the well-being of
its
people and broaden its internationalist assistance to the
peoples of
the world despite all the difficulties.
The Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) sends its revolutionary greetings to the Cuban leadership and people and expresses its profound appreciation for the spirit with which Cuba stands on its own two feet and holds its head high. This spirit is indomitable because it upholds a just cause which, moreover, it shares in common with the peoples of the entire world.
CPC(M-L) salutes the achievements of the Cuban Revolution and the ongoing work of the Cuban people and their Communist Party to renovate socialism so that it stays true to its aims under the present circumstances. CPC(M-L) calls on the working class and people to step up support for revolutionary Cuba. This is all the more crucial amidst intensified U.S. sanctions, disinformation and interference aimed at counterrevolution under the guise of high ideals. As the Cuban people affirm their human rights and selflessly provide so much assistance to the peoples of the world to do the same, the U.S. imperialists and their allies continue to brutally attack all those countries and peoples who are standing up for their right to be. Such base inhumanity must be utterly rejected.
To affirm Cuba's right to pursue an independent path is to contribute to affirming our own right and that of the entire world to do the same.
Viva Cuba!
Long
Live
the Cuban Revolution!
End
the Blockade Now!
This article was published in
Volume 54
Number 43 - July 25, 2024
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2024/Articles/MS54431.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca