Díaz-Canel Declares His and His Family's Willingness to Sacrifice for the Cuban Revolution

In a segment of an interview released by former Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias, Miguel Díaz-Canel expressed his readiness to sacrifice his life for the Cuban revolution, a belief he says he has conveyed to his family.

The clip, shared by Iglesias on his X account, is part of a larger interview recorded during Iglesias's visit to Cuba, as part of the "Nuestra América" convoy.

The question prompting Díaz-Canel’s statement related to the viral gesture by singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez, who had publicly demanded an AKM rifle on his blog "Segunda Cita" amid threats from Washington, stating, "I demand my AKM if they launch. And let it be known, I mean it very seriously."

Díaz-Canel remarked that Rodríguez's demand symbolizes the conviction of the Cuban populace: "If they come in, give me my AKM. What Silvio says is a representation of the majority of the Cuban people's belief."

Furthermore, the Cuban leader went on to say, "I tell you with the deep conviction I hold, which I've shared with my family, that we are willing to give our lives for the revolution." However, he emphasized that the regime does not seek confrontation. "We do not want war. We want dialogue, we want to reach that situation... But if that space is not given, we are ready."

In the interview, Díaz-Canel confirmed that the regime is implementing a "plan to enhance the defense preparedness of the entire population," anchored in the historical doctrine of the War of All the People. He described this doctrine as "a concept of defending the country's sovereignty and independence, but with popular participation," where "each Cuban knows what position and role they must play in defense."

Last Thursday, on the tenth National Defense Day, Díaz-Canel led military exercises in Playa Baracoa, involving the FAR, Territorial Troops Militia, Production and Defense Brigades, the Youth Labor Army, and civilians.

On the same day, the FAR Minister, Álvaro López Miera, formally presented Silvio Rodríguez with a real AKM rifle and a symbolic replica, noting that the gesture was "only symbolic."

Despite the severe economic crisis gripping the island, marked by widespread power outages, fuel shortages, and lack of food and medicine, Díaz-Canel assured Iglesias that "even in these challenging times, people in Cuba have more things and rights secured than at any other point in history."

Iglesias's visit to Cuba faced criticism from opposition and Cuban exiles, who accused him of promoting the regime from a luxury hotel while the Cuban people endure one of the worst crises in their history. A Cuban residing in Spain challenged Iglesias to live in Cuba for a month under real conditions, far from five-star hotels.