World leaders, U.S. politicians and notable Cuban figures are reacting to the news that Fidel Castro, Cuba's longtime president and leader of its Communist revolution, passed away on Friday at the age of 90.
Current president Raul Castro announced his brother's death in a televised statement Friday night prompting Cuban-Americans in Miami to take to the streets in celebration. Online, responses to the iconic leader's death—a mix of praise and condemnation—reflected the divisiveness he stirred throughout his life.
Fidel Castro, Cuba's Revolutionary Leader, Dies at 90
WORLD LEADERS:
Venezuela's president Nicolas Maduro, a strong ally of the Castro family, tweeted that he called Cuban president Raul Castro to send his solidarity and love to the Cuban people. He also shared iconic photos of Fidel Castro from the early days of the Cuban revolution, along with the revolutionary slogan, "toward victory, always."
Cuban-Americans Celebrate News of Castro's Death in Miami
A 60 años de la partida del Granma de México parte Fidel hacia la Inmortalidad de los que luchan toda la Vida...Hasta la Victoria Siempre... pic.twitter.com/wjLS9ngzA5
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) November 26, 2016
El Salvador's president Salvador Sanchez lamented the passing of "our dear friend and eternal companion," while Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto expressed his regret for the passing of an "emblematic" figure of the 20th Century.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi also called Castro "one of the most iconic personalities of the 20th Century" and said India stands in support of the Cuban government and people.
Pakistani politician and former cricket star Imran Khan tweeted that the world lost an “iconic revolutionary leader” who “liberated his nation from all vestiges of imperialism,” reasserting Cuba’s dignity and self worth.
South Africa’s president Jacob Zuma acknowledged the strong bond of “solidarity and friendship” struck between Fidel Castro and Nelson Mandela as the late South African leader led a struggle against apartheid.
Former Soviet statesman Mikhail Gorbachev hailed Castro as an "outstanding man," noting his efforts to dismantle the colonial system and strengthen his country in the face of U.S. blockades."His role in strengthening his country was immense even in the last years, when he gave up formal power,” Gorbachev told the Inferfax news agency.
U.S. LEADERS
President Obama called for continued partnership between Cuba and the United States in a statement.
"Today, we offer condolences to Fidel Castro's family, and our thoughts and prayers are with the Cuban people," Obama said in the statement. "In the days ahead, they will recall the past and also look to the future. As they do, the Cuban people must know that they have a friend and partner in the United States of America."
Obama's statement also referenced the impact Castro had on the lives of the Cuban people and the entire world. "History will record and judge the enormous impact of this singular figure on the people and world around him," the statement read.
President-elect Donald Trump posted his first reaction to the news on Twitter Saturday morning, writing simply: "Fidel Castro is Dead!"
Trump then issued a scathing criticism of Castro later Saturday morning, writing in a statement: "Today, the world marks the passing of a brutal dictator who oppressed his own people for nearly six decades. Fidel Castro’s legacy is one of firing squads, theft, unimaginable suffering, poverty and the denial of fundamental human rights."
U.S. Senator and former Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio also condemned Castro in a statement, writing in part: "One thing is clear, history will not absolve Fidel Castro; it will remember him as an evil, murderous dictator who inflicted misery and suffering on his own people."
Florida Rep. Ilena Ros-Lehtinen, Chairman Emeritus of the House Foreign Affairs Committee called Castro “a tyrant" in a statement heralding "a new beginning" for Cuba, "the last remaining communist bastion of the Western hemisphere.”
Florida Rep. Carlos Curbelo, the son of Cuban exiles, tweeted in both English and Spanish, "The passing of the dictator marks the end of a long, horrifying chapter in #Cuba's history. The #Cuban people need our solidarity."
CELEBRITIES:
Singer Gloria Estefan, who's father worked as a bodyguard for Cuban President Fulgencio Batista, wrote on Instagram that Castro's death has "renewed hope" for Cubans who fled his dictatorship.
"Although the death of a human being is rarely cause for celebration, it is the symbolic death of the destructive ideologies that he espoused that, I believe, is filling the Cuban exile community with renewed hope and a relief that has been long in coming," Estefan wrote.
Cuban-American major league baseball star Jose Canseco tweeted that he can't say he feels anything in response to Castro's death. "There is a reason many defected to USA."
I was born in Cuba and Fidel Castro was our leader. Came to the USA because of him.
— Jose Canseco (@JoseCanseco) November 26, 2016
Photo Credit: AP
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