Last night First Vice President Cuban's Raúl Castro led the traditional March of the Torches paying tribute to the Cuban national hero José Martí, on the 155th anniversary of his birth.

Thousands of students and members of the population in general, as well as participants in the original march of 1953, led at that time by the young revolutionary Fidel Castro, participated in the march to the Fragua Martiana (Martís forge).

San Lazaro Street, prior to 1959 often the scene of confrontations between young Cubans and the agents of the Fulgencio Batista dictatorship, was lit by hundreds of torches carried by the demonstrators.

Along the route, marchers chanted revolutionary slogans such as, "This street is Fidels," "No one surrenders here," and "Whoever stands up with Cuba today, stands up for all time," as well as many shouts of "Vivas!" for Fidel and Raúl.

At the Fragua Martiana, site of José Martís imprisonment as a young man for challenging the Spanish colonial regime, Raúl Castro placed a floral wreath before the monument to the national hero in the name of the Cuban people.

Before the march there was a political-cultural event on the University of Havana stairway, in which artists and musical groups performed patriotic works and read verses written by Martí.

The president of the Federation of University Students, Adalberto Hernández, emphasized the struggles of the Martí Centennial Generation (of 1953), which culminated in the triumph of the revolution on January 1, 1959.

He said that today, for Cubas youth, the march means continued adherence and commitment to Martís legacy, as well as a resounding display of unity and support for socialism.

(Granma International)