http://themilitant.com/2016/8046/804601.html
The Militant (logo)
Vol. 80/No. 46 December 12, 2016
(lead article)
Cubans mobilize to back their socialist revolution
Remarks by Raúl Castro at massive tribute to Cuban revolutionary leader
Fidel Castro
Reuters/Edgard Garrido
Hundreds of thousands of Cubans fill Plaza of the Revolution in Havana
Nov. 29 to hear Raúl Castro's tribute to Fidel Castro and to support and
defend their socialist revolution.
Remarks by Army Gen. Raúl Castro Ruz, First Secretary of the Communist
Party of Cuba Central Committee, and President of the Councils of State
and Ministers, at the mass rally in tribute to Commander in Chief Fidel
Castro Ruz, in Havana’s Plaza of the Revolution, Nov. 29. Translation is
by the Militant.
Esteemed heads of state and government; Gentlemen, leaders of
delegations; Outstanding figures; Friends all; Dear people of Cuba:
It will be my responsibility to present the final speech Dec. 3, when we
gather in Antonio Maceo Plaza of the Revolution in Santiago de Cuba. But
I wish to express now, in the name of our people, party and government,
as well as our family, our sincere gratitude for your presence here
(Applause), for the moving words you have expressed, and also for the
countless extraordinary, demonstrations of solidarity, affection and
respect received from around the world in this hour of pain and commitment.
Fidel dedicated his life to solidarity. He led a socialist revolution
“of the humble, by the humble, for the humble” — a revolution that
became a symbol of the anti-colonial, anti-apartheid and
anti-imperialist struggle for the emancipation and dignity of the people.
His vibrant words echo in this square today as they did when peasants
gathered here July 26, 1959, in support of the agrarian reform — a
moment, like crossing the Rubicon, that earned the revolution a death
sentence. Here Fidel reaffirmed, “The agrarian reform is moving
forward.” And we carried it out. Today, 57 years later, we are honoring
the person who conceived it and led it.
At this site, together with him, we voted to approve the First and
Second Declarations of Havana, in 1960 and 1962. (Applause) Faced with
aggression backed by the Organization of American States, Fidel
proclaimed that “behind the homeland, behind the banner of freedom,
behind this emancipatory revolution … stand a people with dignity” ready
to defend their independence and “the common destiny of a liberated
Latin America.”
I was with Fidel in the building now housing Ministry of the
Revolutionary Armed Forces, (alongside the Plaza) [in 1960], when we
heard the explosion of the French ship La Coubre — the vessel that
brought the first and only weapons we were able to buy in Europe.
We went to the docks to help the victims. We knew the explosion could
only have come from the ship where those weapons were being unloaded.
Then a few minutes after our arrival, like a lethal trap, a second
explosion occurred. The two together caused 101 deaths, with many wounded.
Here, with Fidel, in December 1961, we declared Cuba to be a Territory
Free of Illiteracy — at the conclusion of the literacy campaign carried
out by more than 250,000 teachers and students, a campaign that did not
stop.
That same year veterans of the Rebel Army and the emerging units of
Revolutionary National Militias battled the mercenaries at Playa Girón
[Bay of Pigs] while, in mountainous areas they fought armed bands,
infiltrated from abroad, that carried out many vile acts, including the
murder of 10 young literacy teachers. A victory was won at Girón. At the
same time we fulfilled the commitment that the entire country would
learn to read and write (Applause), to ensure, as Fidel said at the
time, that “the young have a future in their hands.” (Applause)
With great emotion, right here, we heard the Commander in Chief, here in
this square, during the solemn commemoration of October 1967 to pay
tribute to the unforgettable Commander Che Guevara. We returned here 30
years later, during the most difficult moments of the Special Period [of
economic hardship Cuba faced after the collapse of the Soviet Union], to
commit ourselves, before his remains, to follow his immortal example.
Moved and filled with outrage, we attended the memorial ceremony for the
73 persons murdered by state terrorism in the [October 1976] bombing of
the Cubana Airlines airliner over Barbados. Those who died included all
the young winners of gold medals in the Fourth Central American and
Caribbean Fencing Championships. On that occasion we repeated with him,
“When an energetic and virile people weeps…” (shouts of “Injustice
trembles!”) Exactly, “Injustice trembles!” (Applause)
This Plaza is the home of important May Day marches in the capital.
In 1996, against the [U.S.] blockade and the Helms-Burton Act, which are
still in effect. The enormous march of 1999. And the Open Platform of
Youth, Students and Workers of 2000, when Fidel presented his view of
revolution — a conception millions of Cubans have made their own, with
their signature, over the last few days in a sacred act of commitment
[see the pledge below]. (Applause)
This is the place where we have come to support the agreements reached
at our congresses of the Communist Party of Cuba.
In this same spirit, the people have come during these last few days,
with large participation by young people, to pay heartfelt tribute and
pledge loyalty to the ideas and lifework of the Commander in Chief of
the Cuban Revolution. (Applause)
Dear Fidel:
Alongside the monument to José Martí, our national hero and intellectual
author of the assault on the Moncada Garrison, we have gathered for more
than half a century in moments of extraordinary pain — or to honor our
martyrs, proclaim our ideals, celebrate our symbols, and consult the
people regarding important decisions.
Precisely here, where we commemorate our victories, we say to you,
alongside our self-sacrificing, fighting, heroic people: ¡Hasta la
victoria siempre! Ever onward to victory! (Shouts of ¡Siempre! Applause.
Shouts of “¡Viva Fidel! ¡Viva Raúl!”)
Related articles:
Millions turn out in Cuba for Freedom Caravan
Cuban leaders speak at Chicago ‘Solidarity Evening’
Fidel’s life work: ‘Cuba’s socialist revolution, its example & ongoing
march’
Workers, youth affirm commitment to revolution
Sign the petition to free Oscar López!
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home