A demonstration in support of the Cuban regime in Mexico City on Sunday ignited a significant controversy among local authorities. The uproar followed an incident where a group of demonstrators vandalized the Cuauhtémoc City Hall, with the alleged offenders being released shortly thereafter, as reported by Infobae.
Organized by groups such as Va por Cuba and the Mexican Movement of Solidarity with Cuba, the march commemorated the 73rd anniversary of the attacks on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes barracks. Rallying under the slogan "No to the war against Cuba!", participants marched from the Hemiciclo a Juárez to the former U.S. Embassy to protest against the U.S. embargo and any potential military intervention in Cuba.
Allegations of Vandalism
While the demonstration initially proceeded without incident, tensions rose when a faction of masked individuals defaced the façade of the Cuauhtémoc City Hall, a building recognized as a historical site and protected by the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature (INBAL).
Mayor Alessandra Rojo de la Vega condemned these actions, distinguishing between the right to protest and acts of vandalism. "The second group didn't come to protest; they came to vandalize. With their faces covered, they damaged the Cuauhtémoc City Hall façade, a historical building protected by INBAL. Protests are respected. Crimes are not," she wrote on social media.
Conflicting Accounts and Political Interference
Rojo de la Vega confirmed that the offenders were handed over to the Prosecutor’s Office and reiterated her stance against the Cuban government. "I will never defend a system that censors, persecutes, and imprisons those who think differently," she stated.
In contrast, the Mexico City Citizen Security Secretariat (SSC) provided a different account. According to an informational note, auxiliary police from the Orion Sector did not present any demonstrators to the Public Prosecutor but merely issued warnings to allow the protest to proceed peacefully. The department also announced an internal investigation to ascertain whether the officers acted according to protocol.
The discrepancy escalated when Lilian Chapa Koloffon, General Director of Citizen Security of the Cuauhtémoc Government Office, claimed on X that the demonstrators were indeed presented to the Public Prosecutor but were released shortly after. "As impunity prevails, they have already been freed," she commented.
Rojo de la Vega went further, alleging political interference to prevent the detentions from being upheld. "The gravest thing was realizing that, for some, a call 'from above' outweighs an arrest in flagrante delicto and adherence to the law. When power intervenes to prevent the law from being applied, what is protected is no longer rights: it is impunity," she asserted.
She concluded with a direct question: "Why such effort to defend those who vandalized a historical building? Who were they protecting?"
Communist Youth's Accusations of Repression
The Communist Youth Front of Mexico accused authorities of a supposed "anti-communist repression," claiming that six of its members were unjustly detained. The group linked this operation to Rojo de la Vega's decision in July 2025 to remove statues of Fidel Castro and Ernesto "Che" Guevara from the Tabacalera Garden, a move that sparked a political clash with President Claudia Sheinbaum and the Cuban ambassador in Mexico.
As of now, neither the Cuauhtémoc Government Office nor the Citizen Security Secretariat has specified the number of people involved in the march or publicly identified those responsible for the vandalism. The conflicting narratives leave open the question of whether formal arrests occurred and, if so, who ordered the demonstrators' release.
Key Questions About the Mexico City Pro-Cuba Demonstration
What sparked the controversy surrounding the pro-Cuba demonstration in Mexico City?
The controversy arose when a group of demonstrators vandalized the Cuauhtémoc City Hall during the march, leading to disagreements between local authorities about their detention and release.
Who organized the pro-Cuba demonstration in Mexico City?
The demonstration was organized by groups such as Va por Cuba and the Mexican Movement of Solidarity with Cuba to mark the anniversary of historical Cuban events.
What was Mayor Rojo de la Vega's response to the vandalism incident?
Mayor Alessandra Rojo de la Vega condemned the vandalism, emphasizing the difference between legitimate protest and criminal acts, and criticized political interference in the legal process.