Cuban Student Leader Honored on Anniversary of Death in 1957

Students, authorities and people of this city rendered tribute to Jose Antonio Echeverria, one of the most charismatic leaders of the Cuban student movement, killed in a clash against the pólice in 1957.

The traditional pilgrimage made each year from the Museum of his birth house until this city´s cemetery, located in the Matanzas province, 150 kilometers east of Havana.

Wreaths from the historic leader of the Revolution, Fidel Castro, from the President Raul Castro and from the Cuban people, were deposited on the tomb of the revolutionary.

In the key speech, Dayan Gonzalez, president of the University Student Federation (FEU) of the University of Matanzas, highlighted that inside that organization have been forged fighting youths so that Cuba might be free.

"We render tribute to Jose Antonio and reaffir that the FEU and today´s youth will defend the Revolution and the glories achieved", he stressed.

Echeverría (1932-1957), called Manzanita (Little Apple) by his friends, entered the University of Havana in the career of Architecture in the course 1950-1951.

Already by the end of 1955, as president of FEU he founded, together with other youths the Directorio Revolucionario (DR), underground organization to fight the de facto regime of Fulgencio Batista (1952-58).

On March 13, 1957, the DR attacked the Presiedential Palace to execute Batista and, in a parallel action led by Echeverria, they took over a radio station, Radio Reloj, to call people to arms and speak about their action.

At the end of the operation in the radio station, when he was nearing Havana University, the automobile he traveled in met a police car, and Echeverria fell dead in the shootout.