This past Tuesday, Cuban activist Avana de la Torre organized a demonstration outside Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu as hundreds of people attended the opening concert of Silvio Rodríguez's Spanish tour, according to ClickCuba.
The demonstrators, clad in black shirts emblazoned with "Free Cubans," waved Cuban flags and held signs with messages such as "Boycott," "Don't Fund the Dictatorship," and "No to the Complicit in Cuba's Repression."
De la Torre, a prominent anti-Castro activist based in Europe, took to social media to deliver a stark message aimed at both the folk singer and those who purchased tickets to see him perform.
"Those who buy tickets to applaud him cannot plead ignorance. They haven't lived through what we Cubans have, yet they are fully aware of what happens in Cuba and choose to ignore it, clinging to the comfortable romanticism of his songs and whitewashing the regime. This is not solidarity or empathy with the Cuban people: it's complicity," she stated in a Facebook post.
The protest quickly garnered media attention: local Catalan television covered the event, and the EFE news agency captured images of the gathering alongside those of the audience arriving at the Liceu.
Inside the Concert
Inside the theater, around 2,300 attendees filled the venue to hear the troubadour, marking his return to Barcelona a decade after his last performance there. Part of the audience chanted slogans like "Cuba yes, Yankees no!" and "Long live Cuba, long live Fidel!"
Historical Controversies
During the protest outside, participants recalled one of Rodríguez's most controversial political episodes: his signing of the document "Message from Havana to Friends Who Are Far Away," released on April 19, 2003, just eight days after the executions of Lorenzo Enrique Copello Castillo, Bárbaro Leodán Sevilla García, and Jorge Luis Martínez Isaac.
These executions occurred during the so-called Black Spring when the regime imprisoned 75 peaceful dissidents. The letter, also signed by figures like Alicia Alonso, Omara Portuondo, and Chucho Valdés, defended the Cuban government's "forceful measures" against international criticism. Over fifty artists, including Pedro Almodóvar, Javier Bardem, Joaquín Sabina, and Joan Manuel Serrat, responded with a counter-manifesto.
Recent Events and Future Protests
Adding to this history, in March 2026, Rodríguez publicly requested an AKM rifle on his blog in anticipation of a potential U.S. military intervention in Cuba. Days later, Defense Minister Álvaro López Miera presented him with the weapon at an official MINFAR event presided over by Miguel Díaz-Canel.
Avana de la Torre emphasized that the Barcelona protest is just the beginning: "In every city where Silvio performs, there will be honorable Cubans reminding him that Cuba needs freedom, not music serving the dictatorship."
Rodríguez's Spanish tour includes ten concerts across eight cities until October 4, with stops in Zaragoza, Bilbao, Valencia, A Coruña, Seville, and Murcia before concluding at the Movistar Arena in Madrid. Following the Liceu protest, exiled Cubans have already urged the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, to declare Silvio Rodríguez "persona non grata" before his Madrid performance.
Key Questions About the Silvio Rodríguez Protest
Who led the protest against Silvio Rodríguez in Barcelona?
The protest was led by Cuban activist Avana de la Torre.
What were the main messages of the protest?
Protesters carried signs with messages like "Boycott," "Don't Fund the Dictatorship," and "No to the Complicit in Cuba's Repression."
What historical controversies surround Silvio Rodríguez?
Rodríguez has been involved in controversies such as signing a document supporting the Cuban government's harsh measures during the Black Spring and requesting an AKM rifle in 2026 amidst tensions with the U.S.