The Plaza de la Revolution in Havana, Cuba, hosted a massive commemorative rally to honor former Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Oriental IC diagram
On November 29, local time, a large-scale commemorative rally was held in the Square of the Revolution in Havana, Cuba, to mourn the former leader of Cuba, Fidel Castro, and the leaders and representatives of many countries attended. Li Yuanchao, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Special Envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Vice President li Yuanchao attended the mourning activities.
Earlier in the day, the rally was attended early by the early days of the rally, including workers, farmers, soldiers, students and citizens, including some retired elderly. These crowds gathered in the Place de la Revolutiono – the place where Castro led the Cuban people to give several enthusiastic speeches after the victory of the revolution – waving their fists and holding the Cuban flag in their hands, chanting slogans such as "Fidel", "Long live Fidel" and "Long live Cuba".
Castro died in Havana on the evening of November 25 at the age of 90. On 26 November, Cuba began a nine-day mourning event. According to the Gramma newspaper, since November 28, a large number of people have flocked to the Revolutionary Square in Havana, Cuba, for mourning.
On 30 November, vehicles carrying Castro's ashes will follow the route taken at the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, arriving in the eastern city of Santiago on 3 December. On the 4th, Castro will be buried in the city's Santa Iphigenia cemetery, which is also home to the coffin of Cuba's famous national hero José Martí.
"Goodbye, revolutionary"
Raúl Castro, president of the Council of State of Cuba, appeared at the scene in a military uniform, reminiscing about his brother's past in leading Cuba, a Caribbean island nation, to oppose anti-imperialism and cold war tensions, and bidding farewell to Castro with "I and the self-sacrificing, heroic and fearless Cuban people say to you: Continue to march toward victory".
According to a Xinhua news agency, Li Yuanchao delivered a speech saying that Comrade Fidel is the founder of the Cuban Communist Party and the cause of socialism in Cuba, a great leader of the Cuban people, and has made immortal historical merits for the development of socialism in the Cuban people and the world. History and the people will always remember him.
Li Yuanchao also said that Comrade Fidel devoted himself to Sino-Cuban friendship during his lifetime, paid close attention to and spoke highly of China's development process, and Chinese people deeply missed him. China is willing to work with Cuba to continuously deepen the friendship and cooperation between the two parties and countries.
In addition, Venezuelan President Maduro, Bolivian President Morales, Zimbabwean President Mugabe, South African President Zuma and others all appeared at the scene to bid farewell to Castro.
Mugabe, 92, expressed gratitude to the Castro government for training thousands of doctors and teachers for Zimbabwe. "Fidel is not only your leader, he is also our leader, the leader of all revolutionaries. We follow Him, listen to Him, and imitate Him. When Mugabe arrived in Hawa, he told reporters, "Goodbye, dear brother." Goodbye, revolutionary. ”
"He did all his missions, no one was as thorough and brilliant as he was, he was never defeated." Maduro delivered such eulogies at the scene, after which Maduro recited the anti-imperialist song circulating in the Left-Wing countries of Latin America: "They can defeat neither Castro nor the dreams of the Cuban people and this great country". The rally crowd echoed.
According to Agence France-Presse, compared with many Latin American leaders who went to Cuba to mourn Castro, some Western countries sent lower-level representatives, such as Britain, Germany, France and Canada.
The United States, which has "melted the ice" with Cuba, did not send an official condolence mission, but only sent Rhodes, deputy assistant to the president's national security affairs, and de Laurentis, the previous US ambassador to Cuba nominated by US President Barack Obama. The BBC raised the question of whether U.S.-Cuba relations were becoming frosty.
"The Slovaks are gone, the spirit lives on"
Soldiers who participated in the memorial service.
Armando Vasquez, 80, had followed Castro in guerrilla warfare in the Maestra Mountains. Armando told the Guardian that in his opinion, "he (Castro) is like a father." ”
Etelbina Perez, a 64-year-old retired Cuban worker, sobbed and said, "I am very distressed by his departure." It was he who brought me out of the mountains and gave me the opportunity to learn. ”
A taxi driver in Havana told China News Agency that Cuba's world-renowned medical care had been achieved under Castro's leadership.
The Guardian found that among the tens of thousands of rallies, Ana Fidelia, a famous Cuban middle-distance runner, was among them. She recalls that in the process of recovering from her injuries, Castro came to the sickbed every day to encourage her to overcome the disease, and now, "the Slovaks have passed away, but the spirit is always there." ”
Sandra Calvo, a Mexican of Cuban descent, came to the rally. "I'm a political science graduate, and I could never have imagined that the death of a former leader would bring so much grief to the people. People are not forced to come here, they have to respect Castro and his achievements. You cannot imagine that a country with a limited economic position in the world could produce so many doctors and philosophers. That's how she described it to The Guardian.