On April 16, 1961, our Commander in Chief, Fidel Castro Ruz, proclaimed the socialist character of the Cuban Revolution in a historic speech, in which he reaffirmed the Cuban people's commitment to defending our sovereignty and social justice. This historic event took place at a critical moment, following the U.S. air attack on Cuban airports. This was the prelude to the mercenary invasion at Playa Girón, the first defeat of Yankee imperialism in Latin America.
In that context, our Commander addressed a crowd of the people of Havana, gathered at the corner of 23rd and 12th in front of the main entrance of the Colón Cemetery, and in his speech he expressed the need to defend the Revolution and its socialist principles. It was then that he emphasized that the Revolution was "socialist and democratic, of the humble, with the humble, and for the humble." He stated that the Cuban people were willing to defend their Revolution "to the last drop of blood" and that the dignity and courage of the Cuban people were what the imperialists could not forgive. He also highlighted that the Revolution was defended with the commitment of the Cubans, not with mercenaries, and that the air attack was an act of imperialist aggression that had to be responded to firmly.
The proclamation of the socialist character of the Cuban Revolution marked a milestone in the history of Cuba, consolidating the path towards the construction of a much more just, dignified, and supportive Cuban society, based on a strong sense of unity and resistance to external threats. This fact was a decisive moment in the history of the Cuban Revolution, because it not only defined the political future of Cuba, but also laid the foundations for its resistance against the blockade imposed on the Cuban people for more than six decades by the U.S. administrations. Throughout all these years, on April 16, a representation of the people of Havana gathers in the same place to commemorate this date as a reminder and symbol of the Cuban people's struggle in defense of their legitimate right to sovereignty.
Today, 65 years after that historic act and in a situation as difficult and complex as the one experienced in 1961, new generations of Cuban women and men gathered at the corner of 12 and 23 in the legendary Vedado of Havana, the capital, to reaffirm once again the indelible decision to defend our national sovereignty and give our lives if necessary, to prevent the boot of the imperialist giant from trampling on our homeland. The resilience of the Cuban people is principle, it is conviction, and it is the most legitimate right to defend our national sovereignty and the social justice in which we firmly believe. We do not like to be threatened, nor do we like to be told what to do, so if tomorrow the Trump Administration decides to enter our country by force, it will dream its worst nightmare, the unbreakable resistance of the Cuban people, and a land devoted in blood, if it does not perish first in the struggle.