“Cuba does not surrender, Cuba does not sell out, and Cuba does not forget”

By Rene Tamayo on October 7, 2026

Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and President of the Republic, described the gathering held on the morning of October 6 at the José Martí Memorial in Revolution Square—to pay tribute to the victims of the Barbados crime, a terrorist act that claimed the lives of 73 innocent people—as an act of remembrance, but also of resistance.

“This is a gathering,” he added, “in which we are emphasizing historical memory; a moment to denounce impunity and a moment to reflect and reaffirm our convictions in a context as complex as the one we are currently experiencing.”

In an analysis of the legacy that the event left for the Cuban people, he emphasized that it is a source of inspiration and that it strengthens the resistance and courage to continue, in the midst of adversity, defending the Revolution—to thwart the empire’s designs, overcome that genocidal policy and that terrorist policy, and continue consolidating the enduring victory of the Cuban Revolution.

The meeting was attended by family members and comrades of the victims of the crime in Barbados and other terrorist attacks against Cuba, young members of the national fencing team, combatants from the FAR and the MININT, scholars, and prominent figures from various sectors of society.

Participants included members of the Political Bureau: Manuel Marrero Cruz, Prime Minister; Roberto Morales Ojeda, Secretary of Organization of the Party’s Central Committee; Yuniaski Crespo Baquero, head of the Ideological Department of the Central Committee; and Hero of the Republic of Cuba Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, national coordinator of the CDRs, who moderated the discussion, as well as other leaders of the Party, the State, and the Government.

Cristina Valenzuela Corcho, daughter of Adriana Corcho—who lost her life on April 22, 1976, alongside Efrén Monteagudo, victims of the terrorist attack against the Cuban embassy in Portugal—stated that she is aware that the families of all victims of terrorism hold a special place in the hearts of the people, a sense of solidarity she has felt throughout these 50 years.

“And this shows us,” she said, “that the history of which they are a part cannot merely remain in the books for future generations to learn about, but is something we are living every day.”

Ileana Alfonso, daughter of Demetrio Alfonso, one of the victims of the crime in Barbados, said she felt proud to have fulfilled her father’s dream—he wanted her to earn a degree in Physical Education and start her career from the bottom up. However, although she has successfully fulfilled his wishes, that has not alleviated the ongoing suffering of her family and herself, as she was unable to grow up under her father’s guidance.

Now a veteran employee of INDER, Ileana urged young athletes to draw inspiration from those 24 fencers who returned home rejoicing after winning all the gold medals up for grabs in the fencing events at the 1976 Central American and Caribbean Games; but to do so, she told them, requires dedication and discipline—qualities that will enable them to represent their homeland and the heroic people of Cuba in any athletic competition.

Seily Mendoza, a fencer and Central American champion, recalled the dreams of those young people who were murdered in the sabotage of the Cubana airplane in mid-flight—dreams that were cut short by so much hatred. It was a sacrifice, she said, that inspires new generations to commit themselves to the homeland and to strive to bring the best results to our people.

One of our Five Heroes, Antonio Guerrero, recalled that when the crime in Barbados occurred, they were very young, but they took it upon themselves to defend the Revolution at whatever cost was necessary. “It was because of events like those,” he remarked, “that we became anti-terrorist fighters, because we, the Cubans”—he said, recalling Fidel’s words at the time—“‘are an energetic and virile people who resist, and injustice will continue to tremble, because the challenges will continue, but with an entire people standing ready to defend the Revolution.”

Condemnation of Terrorism in All Its Forms

This was a gathering in which the President wished to speak, above all, as part of that generation born in the early years of the Revolution, whose lives have been largely marked by the blockade and the abominable crime in Barbados. Something—he said—that has always been part of revolutionary sentiment and that we must keep in mind as we look to our history to find answers for the present moment.

Recalling the sad and epic days experienced by the people following the mid-flight attack on the Cubana de Aviación aircraft on October 6, 1976—which culminated in the historic speech by Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz at the memorial service— Díaz-Canel emphasized how heart-wrenching the experiences of the victims’ families continue to be in the wake of that abominable act.

Photo: Estudios Revolución.

“Those testimonies are heart-wrenching, those experiences are heart-wrenching, those life stories that you have carried in your hearts and minds all these years are heart-wrenching,” emphasized the President, for whom this gathering at the José Martí Memorial was an event for all of Cuba, especially—he said—for our youth, “because our truths must be made known; they must be repeated. We must bring them into the present moment we are living in, also to find answers.”

At the tribute to the victims of the horrific terrorist act in Barbados—sponsored, organized, and financed by the CIA—the Head of State highlighted the presence of a delegation of young Cuban fencers. The event in Barbados, he told them, was “a flight of hope. There were no terrorists there; there was no one there who had done anything against the United States.”

“Therefore, that terrorist act was also an act of revenge—senseless revenge, revenge without any justification whatsoever. It was an act of spite and arrogance. And they targeted the innocence of those on that flight.”

And among them,” he added, “were the members of the youth fencing team, who were returning from a successful competition with their gold medals. “How much joy must there have been on that flight, how many longings to reunite that they were never able to fulfill?” Díaz-Canel wondered, recalling Fidel’s words at the time, when he said that they, with their medals, had ascended to the Olympus of the nation’s martyrs.

At another point in his analysis of the aggressions to which our country has fallen victim to date, the President noted that there is an asymmetrical relationship between Cuba and the United States, in which they are the aggressors and we are the victims.

But the fact is—he remarked—that the victims have not been defeated, because the victims have not surrendered and will not surrender. Those under attack have fought, are fighting, and will continue to fight.

And this is also why—he added—it is so important that we keep that historical memory and those truths intact in our minds, hearts, and emotions, and that we continue to pass them on, share them, and nurture them with our children, our grandchildren, and the new generations yet to come.

In his remarks to the participants at the gathering to pay tribute to the victims of terrorism against Cuba—which was fomented and supported by the U.S. government—Díaz-Canel reiterated his condemnation of the impunity and double standards applied by hegemonic powers, such as including a country that has been a victim of terrorism on a list of countries that allegedly support terrorism. And this is done by the country that has supported terrorism the most in the world, he asserted.

Furthermore,” he added, “the perpetrators of the crime behind this attack on the Cubana de Aviación flight—Orlando Bosch and Luis Posada Carriles—received no punishment whatsoever: they went unpunished.

And it is clear—he explained later—that this impunity stemmed from a political decision by the U.S. government; it was neither an omission nor an oversight: it was simply the result of a political decision by the United States.

In the face of all this despicable and genocidal behavior by the U.S. government, Díaz-Canel emphasized the true ethical spirit of Cuba and the Cuban people. “We,” he said, “do not overcome hatred by generating more hatred. We overcome hatred by winning, resisting, creating, and striving to remain faithful to that history and that legacy.”

For all these reasons,” the president demanded, “50 years after the crime in Barbados, we have every right as a nation and as a people to demand that the CIA’s files on the attack be declassified. We have every right as a nation and as a people to demand that the United States stop protecting the terrorists operating from its territory.”

Reflecting on the legacy and ongoing relevance of those events, Díaz-Canel noted that we cannot forget them, because terrorism has not ceased today, because violent actions against our country continue to take place, and because the United States continues to encourage terrorism on a global scale.

After denouncing the aggression Cuba is currently facing—including a prolonged and intensified blockade, now compounded by an energy blockade—the First Secretary of the Party’s Central Committee and President of the Republic stated that the tribute to the victims of the terrorist attack in Barbados was “an act of remembrance, a gathering of remembrance, but also a gathering of resistance,” and he reaffirmed to the families of the victims of terrorism over all these years “that their pain is our pain; it is the pain of our entire people.”

“We know that no consolation can ease such pain, but there is an entire people who embrace you, who speak your names every October 6, and who will never cease to demand justice and the truth. Therefore, every October 6, when we reflect on these matters, we must not view it merely as an anniversary of grief, but as an anniversary of reaffirmation, in which we reaffirm our condemnation of terrorism in all its forms.”

“Your pain is ours; you are not alone; your memory is ours, and our cause remains the cause of all of Cuba,” affirmed Díaz-Canel, who reiterated that “with the same resolve as 50 years ago, Cuba does not surrender, Cuba does not sell out, and Cuba does not forget.”

Source: Cubadebate, translation Resumen Latinoamericano – English