Marking the 73rd anniversary of Cuba’s National Rebellion Day—a celebration inspired by the July 26, 1953, assault on the strongholds of the Fulgencio Batista regime, led by Fidel Castro—Castillo said that historic feat demonstrates that the disadvantages one faces do not matter as much as political convictions and commitment to the people.

  Castillo, who also serves as Minister of Labor and Social Security, highlighted: “That is why we come to pay tribute to the courage, the education, and the lessons left to us by Fidel and that group of Cubans who, at that moment, stood up to defend their people, their dignity, and their independence, seeking to break free from the harassment of dictatorship and imperialism.”

  “They have always sought to vow eternal hatred against Fidel and the Cuban people, because what imperialism does not want is to have that affront right under its nose—someone who wants to be truly free, independent, and sovereign. And that is what imperialism has sworn against,” he emphasized.

  “They do not accept the existence of alternatives like the one Cuba represents, nor the resistance of its people against the blockade—now reinforced by the oil embargo,” he added.

  During the gathering, members of the PCU youth wing described their experiences as part of the Fidel Castro Brigade, which traveled to Cuba in January on a solidarity mission.

  The occasion also served to collect medicines and medical supplies to be sent to the island—a nation under siege that nonetheless resists, despite the permanent hostility of the United States government.

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