In Santiago de Cuba, Tribute Paid to the November 30 Uprising

Santiago de Cuba – Floral wreaths in the name of Army General Raúl Castro, leader of the Revolution, and Miguel Díaz-Canel, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, were placed this Thursday at the plaque honoring the martyrs of the November 30, 1956, armed uprising.

On the 69th anniversary of this heroic deed, considered a decisive moment in the final revolutionary stage, floral arrangements were also laid on behalf of Esteban Lazo, president of the National Assembly of People's Power, and the Cuban people.

That action, conceived to support the landing of the expeditionaries of the yacht Granma, claimed the lives of the young men Pepito Tey, Tony Alomá, and Otto Parellada, during the assault on the Batista police station at Loma del Intendente. The site is now the Museum of the Clandestine Struggle, declared a National Monument.

Yusmaikel Vailer, a member of the Secretariat of the Communist Party, emphasized that remembering this glorious date is to reaffirm the example of the heroes and martyrs as a foundation for strengthening unity, steadfastness, and patriotism. He underscored the resistance against what he termed "the historic enemy," in reference to the United States, and its "suffocating economic, commercial, and financial blockade," as well as its attempts to "destroy the Cuban Revolution."

He stated that the combative spirit of that youth, inspired by the ideals of José Martí, endures in today's young people, who continue to defend the revolutionary project. Furthermore, he called for continued work on the territory's recovery following the damage caused by Hurricane Melissa on October 29.

For her part, Aida Liliana Morales, president of the provincial chapter of the Union of Cuban Historians, told the Cuban News Agency that that day saw the debut of symbols such as the red and black armband and the olive-green uniform, demonstrating the continuity of the revolutionary dream that began with the assault on the Moncada Barracks in 1953.

"Each year we return here to pay tribute to that generation and to reaffirm the conviction to maintain the country's independence, as well as the patriotic values and sense of national identity that guided them," affirmed Morales.

The commemorative event was attended by Beatriz Johnson and Manuel Falcón, president and vice-president of the Provincial Defense Council, respectively, along with chiefs of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior, representatives of mass organizations, veterans of the Revolution, and residents of Santiago.