Yordanka Battle Fires Back Unfiltered at Alejandro Gil's Daughter

Yordanka Battle Moré didn't hold back in her response to Laura María Gil González, the daughter of former Economy Minister Alejandro Gil Fernández. Laura had recently taken to social media to demand that her father's trial for espionage, embezzlement, and other charges be conducted publicly and be televised.

Battle, renowned for her candid critiques of the Cuban regime, delivered a sharp message to the young woman, blending familial empathy with a strong social demand.

"First and foremost, I want to say you're a good daughter. I understand you because I am one too, and I know the sacrifices it entails," she began. Yet, she quickly diverged by adding, "Not only your dad, but even the person who stole a potato from a market, all Cubans deserve a fair trial… Your father isn't the last cold drink in the Sahara desert."

Everyday Struggles of Ordinary Cubans

In her post, Battle painted a stark picture of the daily struggles faced by ordinary Cubans, emphasizing that "the people you now reference are busy trying to secure food, medicine, hygiene products, attempting to communicate with family, or getting their child out of ‘El Kimico’. A significant portion of the Cuban population couldn't care less about what happens to your father. Life is tough, child! So put on a helmet and hold onto the brush, because your ladder is gone!"

Battle concluded her statement with a declaration of principles: "Cuba belongs to the Cubans, regardless of political spectrum. There are those like me who want a liberal Cuba, where life, free-market economy, and individual rights are respected and cherished."

Voices Reflecting the People's Sentiment

Yordanka's response, which quickly went viral, encapsulates the feelings of many Cubans who see Gil's case as a manifestation of the privileges and disconnection of the elites amidst the country's crisis.

While Laura Gil appeals to the Constitution for transparency, voices like Battle's highlight the disparity between such rhetoric and the harsh realities faced by those living under a system that fails to provide the essentials.

The exchange has sparked additional criticism following Laura's statement, with prominent figures joining the conversation. Playwright Yunior García Aguilera acknowledged Laura's gesture as "a daughter's act" but noted that her speech uses "the language of forced submission," typical, he said, of those speaking under authoritarian regimes.

"One says something to avoid the censor's punishment and another so the people understand what you truly mean," he remarked.

Meanwhile, journalist José Luis Tan Estrada expressed a harsher view, stating, "I can't empathize with Alejandro Gil's daughter. It's understandable she defends her father, but her statement lacks a single word of empathy for Cubans condemned for demanding the same: transparency and justice."

From the academic realm, economist Mauricio de Miranda Parrondo intensified the debate by calling for the resignation of Miguel Díaz-Canel and Manuel Marrero, arguing that Alejandro Gil's case exposes the moral and institutional collapse of the system: "You are not the solution, you are the problem," he wrote.

Amidst this tension, Yordanka Battle's voice resonates as that of a generation unafraid to express what many believe: that in Cuba, the truth of power and the people's reality have long diverged.