Cuba’s leftist allies and Washington’s top diplomat in Havana joined a sprawling throng of Cubans at a rally on Tuesday to commemorate Fidel Castro, the man who built a Communist state on the doorstep of the US.
Fidel died on Friday at age 90, a decade after ceding control to his younger brother Raul Castro, 85.
With Raul at his side, the charismatic Fidel led the bearded rebels who seized power in a 1959 revolution and ruled the island in the face of US opposition that endured until President Barack Obama reversed course in 2014 and set out to restore diplomatic relations.
For many, especially in Latin America and Africa, Castro was a symbol of resistance to imperialism, having ousted a US-backed dictator, and a champion of the poor.
Others, including many in the large Cuban exile community in Miami, have condemned him as a tyrant who jailed opponents and ruined the economy through socialism.
Chants of “Viva Fidel!” resounded as tens of thousands massed in Havana’s Revolution Square on Tuesday evening to pay homage to Fidel.
“United, the people will never be defeated!” rang another.
Raul embraced ideological ally, visiting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, as the ceremony got underway.
