Díaz-Canel Highlights Historical Significance of August 5

Miguel Díaz-Canel, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, today underscored on the social media platform X the historical significance of August 5 as a symbol of revolutionary unity.

The date reminds us that there will always be dark forces lurking against a genuine Revolution in its most difficult moments, and that only unity can reverse attempts to destroy it, Díaz-Canel stated, recalling the events of August 5, 1994, on Havana’s Malecón.

The president accompanied his remarks with a 1994 image showing Commander in Chief Fidel Castro alongside the people, “bound together, like the rods of the national shield,” he said.

“Every August 5 reminds us that there will always be dark forces lurking against a genuine Revolution in its most difficult moments and that only unity can reverse attempts to destroy it. Look at the 1994 photo: Fidel and the people bound together, like the rods of the national shield.”

On August 5, 1994, Cuba experienced a day of unrest in Havana, led by antisocial elements who gathered in an unusual way, encouraged by rumors from broadcasters based in the United States about alleged mass departures to that country without the need for formal procedures.

The gathering escalated into violent acts, looting, and tensions in central areas, but the response of the people and the direct presence of Fidel Castro at the epicenter of events were decisive in restoring order.