Thousands of Cubans gathered this Thursday morning in Havana to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the proclamation of the socialist character of the Revolution, reaffirm its anti-imperialist stance amidst repeated threats of aggression from the U.S., and express their determination to defend the revolutionary project with their lives if necessary.

The commemorative event was led by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez. In addition to various sectors of the population, the participants included young people, students, workers, and a large contingent of veterans from the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior. Also present were veterans who repelled the mercenary invasion at Playa Girón in 1961, as well as attendees of the fifth Patria International Colloquium, which begins this Thursday in the Cuban capital.

The words of the historical leader of the Cuban Revolution, Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, were invoked: “What the imperialists cannot forgive us for is that we are here, what the imperialists cannot forgive us for is the dignity, the integrity, the courage, the ideological firmness, the spirit of sacrifice, and the revolutionary spirit of the Cuban people… That is what they cannot forgive us for, that we are right here under their noses, and that we have carried out a socialist revolution right under the noses of the United States!”

The popular mobilization became a platform to denounce the damage caused by the U.S. economic, commercial, and financial blockade against Cuba, a policy of war to which the Trump Administration recently added an extraterritorial energy blockade to suffocate the Revolution.

The proclamation of the socialist character of the Revolution took place on April 16, 1961, during the funeral rites for the victims of bombings carried out by the U.S. against various points in the national territory, which resulted in 7 deaths and numerous injuries. These attacks were the prelude to the invasion by a mercenary brigade at Playa Girón, which received logistical and financial support from the White House and was armed and trained by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Before the crowd gathered to bid farewell to the fallen, near the Cristóbal Colón Cemetery in Havana, Fidel Castro declared: “Comrades, workers and peasants, this is the socialist and democratic revolution of the humble, with the humble, and for the humble. And for this Revolution of the humble, by the humble, and for the humble, we are prepared to give our lives.”

From the crowd, thousands of militiamen raised their rifles and expressed their determination to defend the homeland. That date went down in national history as Militiaman’s Day.

That event also marked the prelude to the Yankee aggression, which began in the early morning of April 17 at Playa Girón, south of Matanzas province. The invasion was defeated in less than 72 hours.

Also on April 16, 1961, the informal union of the 26th of July Movement, the Revolutionary Directorate, and the Popular Socialist Party took place. These organizations had opposed the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista and, although they shared objectives, had disparate agendas and projections. (This step was formalized on October 3, 1965, when the Communist Party of Cuba was formally constituted and the members of the Central Committee were elected, including its top leader, Fidel).