Thousands Rally in Havana as U.S. Indicts Raúl Castro, Miguel Díaz-Canel Leads Protest

Thousands of Cubans rallied in Havana on Friday to condemn a U.S. indictment of Raúl Castro and the decades-long U.S. embargo on Cuba, with the Cuban government saying more than 250,000 people attended at the Jose Marti Anti-Imperialist Platform facing Havana’s seafront.

Xinhua reported the rally was led by Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and coincided with the country’s National Defense Day, while Gerardo Hernandez, national coordinator of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, said it reflected popular rejection of what he called "a political provocation by Washington."

ABC News

The CBC and Reuters described a separate pro-government demonstration outside the U.S. embassy in Havana that began shortly after sunrise on Havana’s waterfront, with Cuban lawmaker Gerardo Hernández conveying a message thanking the Cuban people and friends around the world for their solidarity.

In that embassy-area rally, President Miguel Díaz-Canel and Prime Minister Manuel Marrero attended, and the 94-year-old elder statesman was not present, while thousands waved flags and chanted "Viva Raúl!" and "Patria o Muerte (Homeland or Death)!".

Gerardo Hernández, quoted by the CBC, thanked supporters and framed his stance with Castro’s words, saying "As long as I live, I will remain at the forefront of the Revolution, with one foot in the stirrup," while Mariela Castro told Cuban state-run media that her father was doing fine.

In the same rally coverage, the CBC said Cuba’s indictment on murder charges on Wednesday was based on "spurious" allegations designed to serve as a pretext for an invasion as President Donald Trump’s administration pushes to upend the island’s government.

Al Jazeera

The Guardian reported that a teacher in Havana said, "How dare they?" and added, "Who are they to threaten us in such a way?" as fears of U.S. military strikes were being discussed in the capital.

The Guardian also quoted a former Cuban ambassador, Carlos Alzugaray, saying Fidel Castro told Bill Clinton, "You have to stop this, we cannot stand it," in response to the Brothers to the Rescue flights that the U.S. indictment ties to the 1996 downing of two civilian planes.

As the U.S. case moved forward, WPLG Local 10 reported that one co-defendant named in Raúl Castro’s sweeping federal indictment, pilot Luis Raul Gonzalez-Pardo Rodriguez, accepted a plea deal in a separate case and was scheduled to be sentenced next Thursday in Jacksonville.

WPLG Local 10 also reported that federal authorities in Miami announced the arrest of Adys Lastres Morera, the sister of a top official connected to GAESA, and said she remains in ICE custody while Rubio blamed GAESA for contributing to Cuba’s severe economic crisis.

In Havana, AFP-France 24 said the 94-year-old brother of Fidel Castro did not attend the rally held at a park across the street from the U.S. embassy, but his children were present including Mariela Castro and Alejandro Castro.

France 24 added that Mariela Castro dismissed the likelihood of her father suffering a similar fate, saying "I am not afraid because I know they (the United States) won't do it," while the BBC reported the U.S. formally charged Raúl Castro with four counts of murder filed in Miami on May 20, 1902’s anniversary.