Republic of Palestine
Havana — January 28th 2026Cuba’s capital, Havana, witnessed last night the historic Torchlight March, led by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, with the participation of thousands of Cuban students and youth who gathered at the steps of the University of Havana to commemorate José Martí, the Apostle of Cuban independence, and to honor the Commander-in-Chief of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz.
The march was joined by the Palestinian Youth Organization, alongside Cuban youth movements and student unions, in a clear expression of internationalist solidarity between the Palestinian and Cuban peoples, reaffirming the unity of struggle against colonialism and imperialism, and loyalty to the values of liberation and justice embodied by Martí and Fidel—values that continue to inspire young generations in Palestine, Cuba, and across the world.
In a highly symbolic revolutionary atmosphere, Litza Elena González Desdín, President of the University Students’ Federation (FEU), called on young people to light their torches and march forward “with the pride of being heirs to the most genuine traditions of struggle,” stressing that the University of Havana remains the cradle where revolutionary consciousness was forged, and where Fidel Castro took his first steps as a revolutionary.
She emphasized that “this rebellious, Martían, Fidelist, centennial, and anti-imperialist light will continue to guide the unwavering conviction that to die for the homeland is to live.”
The event, held on a cold winter night, included tributes to student leader Julio Antonio Mella at his resting place, as well as floral offerings at the Fragua Martiana, the historic site formerly known as the San Lázaro quarry, where José Martí was forced into hard labor in 1870 under Spanish colonial rule.
“The torches of Fidel’s centenary continue to illuminate the path toward achieving full justice”
Participants, including the delegation of the Palestinian Youth Organization, affirmed that the torches of Martí’s centenary and the torches of Fidel’s centenary continue to illuminate the path toward achieving full justice, asserting that the harshness of the times and the escalating threats against Cuba will not break the will of free peoples, but rather strengthen their resolve—especially as youth today stand at the forefront of the struggle for liberation and dignity.
