Revolutionary and strong

          By Gloria La Riva
          Santiago de Cuba, Cuba

          On July 26, the people of Cuba celebrated the 45th anniversary of the heroic "Moncada assault,"
          an event recognized as the opening shot of the revolutionary struggle against the U.S.-backed
          dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista.

          On that day, July 26, 1953, 26-year-old Fidel Castro led 134 other young revolutionaries to attack
          the Moncada military barracks in Santiago de Cuba. It was his belief that armed struggle to
          overthrow Batista was the only option left for the Cuban people to achieve a just society, after
          Batista carried out a military coup d’etat on March 10, 1952.

          Although the attack on Moncada ended in defeat, with a brutal repression against the young fighters
          by Batista’s soldiers, it became a clarion call for the Cuban masses to struggle for victory, and
          sparked the creation of the July 26th Movement.

          Almost five and a half years later, against overwhelming odds, the July 26th Movement overthrew
          Batista and launched the next stage of the struggle—to break free of U.S. imperialist control of the
          island and build socialism.

          Tonight, over 10,000 Cubans cheered Cuban President Fidel Castro as he stood before the
          entrance to the former Moncada garrison—now a primary school—to deliver a five-hour speech
          filled with the same revolutionary spirit, clarity and boldness with which he led his comrades 45 years
          ago.

          Although there are celebrations throughout Cuba on July 26, the official event traditionally takes
          place in the province that has surpassed the others in the year’s industrial and agricultural production.
          This year, Santiago—known as Cuba’s Heroic City—won that honor, giving the 45th anniversary
          special meaning.

          Spirits were high as the crowds waved Cuban and July 26 Movement flags ("M-26-7"), and
          shouted, "Se oye, se siente, Fidel está presente"—"We feel it, Fidel is here." The audience, 10,000
          Cubans, were chosen from throughout the country by co-workers for their achievements, or as
          outstanding members of the Cuban Communist Party and mass organizations.

          The rally began with the national anthem, songs and awards to Santiago organizations and entities for
          the year’s work.

          Participants gave a standing ovation to honor the 48 "moncadistas" on the presiding stage, almost all
          of the surviving combatants of the 1953 assault. Among them was Melba Hernández. She and
          Haydee Santamaría were the two women who participated in the Moncada action. The presence of
          this large group underscores the unbroken unity of Cuba’s revolutionary leadership after 45 years.

          Primary school children, "pioneros," who at 5 a.m. reenacted a symbolic assault on the barracks,
          gave flowers to the Moncada combatants.

          Castro’s speech reviews revolutionary history

          Castro began his talk by remarking on the need to reflect on issues of political, historical and
          ideological importance for Cuba. His speech and delivery were reminiscent of his speeches in the
          early years of the revolution, when his careful ideological explanation of the class struggle won him
          the confidence of Cuba’s masses in the building of the socialist revolution.

          In noting the 100th anniversary of U.S. imperialism’s takeover of Cuba, he spoke at length of how
          the Cuban fight for independence from Spain—1868 to 1898—was frustrated when the U.S.
          military intervened and robbed Cuban "Mambí" freedom fighters of their pending victory.

          He reminded the audience that in Spain’s surrender to the U.S. in Santiago, July 17, 1898, the
          Cuban forces who had fought for three years were locked out completely by the U.S. invaders. For
          61 years, Cuba would be denied real independence, until the 1959 revolution.

          Coming to 1953, Castro reviewed the demands of the Moncada program of the July 26 Movement,
          which he detailed in his famous "History Will Absolve Me" speech at his October 1953 trial for the
          Moncada assault.

          He went over the levels of poverty and suffering in 1958 and compared them to the gains won by the
          Cuban workers and peasants through the socialist revolution. He emphasized that the Moncada
          program defended the rights of Cuban workers, students, teachers, scientists, and added, "The
          program never once mentioned the rich, the bourgeoisie."

          He laid full blame on the U.S. for the murder of 73 young Cuban and Barbadian young athletes,
          killed on Oct. 6, 1976, in the crash of a Cubana airplane after a bomb went off. It had been planted
          by CIA-paid and -trained fascists Luis Posada Carriles and Orlanda Bosch.

          Referring to a recent interview Posada gave to the New York Times admitting this and other crimes
          against Cuba and confirming his CIA connections, Castro angrily denounced the U.S. government
          and CIA war of sabotage and counter- revolutionary violence against Cuba.

          Looking ahead, Castro said, "Since 1868 we have been struggling for 130 years. Before, the
          struggle was for independence, for sovereignty.

          "Today, these ideals are higher—before we struggled for our country, today we struggle for the
          world."

          Fidel's words at dawn on July 26, 1953

          "Comrades, within a few hours, we will either succeed or be defeated. But regardless of the
          outcome, listen well, comrades, this movement will triumph.

          "If we win tomorrow, we will achieve that much faster what José Martí aspired to.

          "If the opposite were to occur, the action will serve as an example to the people of Cuba, to raise
          the flag and continue forward. The people will support us in Oriente [province] and in the whole
          island.

          "As in 1868 and 1895, here in Oriente we raise the first shout of ‘Freedom or Death!’"

          Fidel Castro Ruz addressing the Moncada combatants at dawn on July 26, 1953.