Thousands of Cubans converged on the U.S. embassy in Havana on Friday, staging a fervent protest against a recent American decision to indict former leader Raúl Castro.
The indictment stems from the downing of two civilian airplanes three decades ago.
The pro-government demonstration, which commenced shortly after sunrise along Havana’s waterfront, underscored a week of solidarity from Cuban officials rallying behind the island’s revolutionary figure.
Havana has vehemently rejected the murder charges filed on Wednesday against Castro, labeling them “spurious” allegations.
Cuban authorities assert these charges are a thinly veiled pretext for an invasion, particularly amid efforts by the Trump administration.
President Miguel Diaz-Canel and Prime Minister Manuel Marrero were present at the rally, though the 94-year-old Castro did not attend.
On Thursday, President Trump dramatically turned up the heat on Cuba, openly floating the possibility of U.S. military action against the communist island just one day after his administration slapped explosive criminal charges on former Castro.
Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump hinted he could be the president who finally takes direct action against Havana after decades of failed threats from Washington.
“Other presidents have looked at this for 50, 60 years,” Trump said. “It looks like I’ll be the one that does it.”
The jaw-dropping comments came as Secretary of State Marco Rubio — a longtime Cuba hawk and the son of Cuban immigrants — warned that the White House is done playing games with the regime.
Rubio accused Cuba of acting as a national security threat because of its cozy ties with America’s enemies, including China and Russia, and said the administration is losing patience with Havana after months of behind-the-scenes talks went nowhere.
“Cuba has gotten used to buying time and waiting us out,” Rubio said before departing for overseas meetings. “They’re not going to be able to wait us out this time. We’re very serious.”
While Rubio insisted Trump still prefers a peaceful negotiated deal, he admitted the odds of diplomacy succeeding are slim “given who we’re dealing with right now.”
And when pressed on whether the U.S. could use force to topple Cuba’s government, Rubio pointedly noted that Trump “always has the option to do whatever it takes to protect the national interest.”
