At a ceremony commemorating the 73rd anniversary of the attacks on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Cespedes barracks—led by Fidel Castro—attendees called for strengthening solidarity with Cuba. The country continues to resist after more than six decades of the U.S. economic, commercial, and financial blockade, which has currently intensified due to an energy blockade.

Former legislator Maria Augusta Calle, who served as Ecuador’s ambassador to the island, denounced the consequences of Washington’s policy of unilateral sanctions.

Milton Chamorro, representing the Ecuadorian Coordinator for Friendship and Solidarity with Cuba, called for strengthening the solidarity organization, launching new brigades to Cuba, and expanding campaigns to collect medicines and aid to cope with the blockade’s impact.

Cuban visual artist Luis Alberto Ruiz Saavedra, a resident of Ecuador, maintained that despite the blockade, Cuba upholds its commitment to solidarity with other peoples; he urged people to reciprocate that aid by supporting his homeland.

Meanwhile, Irina Mora, president of the Pomasqui local government (GAD), highlighted that keeping the legacy of the Cuban Revolution alive strengthens the ideals of social justice and sovereignty.

Veronica Naranjo, representing the organization Unitierra, spoke while dressed as Manuela Saenz; she appealed for the unity of Latin American peoples in the face of policies that, she asserted, promote division and hatred.

As part of the ceremony, Maria Augusta Calle pinned the medal of the Ecuadorian Coordinator for Friendship and Solidarity with Cuba onto the island’s flag.

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