Cuban and Mexican activists gathered Sunday at Tabacalera Park to demand the reinstatement of recently removed statues honoring Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro (1926-2016) and Argentine-Cuban guerrilla Ernesto "Che" Guevara (1928-1967). The demonstration, organized by the Mexican Movement of Solidarity with Cuba and the José Martí Association of Cuban Residents in Mexico, condemned Cuauhtémoc borough mayor Alessandra Rojo's decision to remove the monuments last week.

Rojo initially cited lack of proper permits for the removal, though protesters disputed this claim. Chants of "Fascism out of Cuauhtémoc," "This park belongs to Fidel and Che," and "Yes to Cuba, no to Alessandra" filled the park as demonstrators, including local residents, political parties, and labor organizations, called for sanctions against the mayor.

Luis Flores of Youth for Socialism, the youth wing of Mexico's Popular Socialist Party, told Prensa Latina the removal reflects Rojo's "ignorance of the significant social movements inspired by Fidel and Che." He accused her allied political parties, the Institutional Revolutionary Party and National Action Party, of targeting leftist movements to suppress political awareness.

Emiliano Jijón of the Communist Party of Mexico described Cuba's revolution as "a beacon that continues illuminating Latin America and the world," while condemning the ongoing U.S. economic blockade against Cuba. Activists proposed renaming the park after Fidel Castro and announced plans for a July 26 march from Cuauhtémoc borough headquarters to mark Cuba's Day of National Rebellion.

The statues commemorated Castro and Guevara's first meeting in Mexico. Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada has pledged to recover the monuments, following criticism of Rojo's decision from President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum.