Fidel Castro as hundreds of thousands of Cubans marched through Havana's
Revolution Plaza to celebrate May Day, casting new doubts on his recovery and
whether he will return to power.
Tuesday marked only the third time in nearly five decades that Castro has
missed the sweeping International Workers' Day festivities ¡ª a major celebration
here and around the world.
People march during a May Day parade
on Revolution Square in Havana May 1, 2007.[Reuters]
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While recent images of Castro meeting with Chinese leaders indicated he had
improved considerably since undergoing emergency surgery nine months ago, his
absence at the parade through the Revolution Plaza raised questions about
whether he is strong enough to run the country.
The 80-year-old leader has missed two other major events since announcing his
illness on July 31 and temporarily ceding power to his 75-year-old brother Raul
Castro, the defense minister. Raul presided at the Nonaligned Summit in
September and a major military parade in December.
"It now seems more unlikely than before that he will fully resume the
presidency," said Wayne Smith, the former head of the American mission in
Havana. "And the more time that passes, the more unlikely it seems."
Smith said that with Castro failing to show Tuesday, Venezuelan President
Hugo Chavez's assertions this week that Castro was back "in charge" appeared to
be "a lot of hot air."
Others said he could still resume some responsibility.
"To me, the key question is to what degree is he coming back?" said Phil
Peters, Cuba specialist for the Lexington Institute, a Washington-area think
tank. "Would his comeback be partial, ceremonial? Will he spend two hours in the
office checking off on strategic decisions?"
Raul Castro, wearing his typical olive-green uniform and cap, stood stiffly
and smiled under the shadow of a towering statue of Cuban independence leader
Jose Marti. He occasionally waved as marchers clad in red T-shirts and dark
slacks streamed past, clutching plastic Cuban flags, portraits of his more
famous brother and banners denouncing U.S. "imperialism."
Although Cuban life is little changed under Raul's leadership, loyalists
missed the energy Fidel brought to events such as May Day.
"Everyone wanted to see him, but it's good that he recovers completely. Now
the revolution is continuing with Raul," said 68-year-old hotel worker Victor
Reyes, who was among the marchers.
Special guests included a Cuba solidarity group from New York. The foreigners
were impressed by the large turnout, which Havana's Radio Reloj estimated at
500,000. Smaller marches were held simultaneously in cities around the island.
"Even without (Fidel Castro), they came out en masse," said Joppe Van
Meervelde, 29, a metal workers' unionist from Belgium.
Marchers protested the recent decision to free on bond anti-communist
militant Luis Posada Carriles, pending his trial on U.S. immigration charges.
Havana accuses the Cuba-born Posada of orchestrating a 1976 airliner bombing
that killed 73 people ¡ª a charge he denies.
Signs and banners demanded "Prison for the Executioner" and accused the U.S.
government of a double standard on terrorism in the Posada case.
Marchers also demanded the release of five Cuban spies imprisoned in the U.S.
for being unregistered foreign agents, calling them heroes who were merely
protecting their country from violent exile groups.
On the eve of the march, Fidel Castro mentioned Posada and the five agents in
the latest of several editorials he has issued in recent weeks, but focused
mostly on his opposition to U.S. plans to use food crops to produce ethanol for
American cars.
Elsewhere on May Day, riot police charged into crowds of protesters in
Turkey, spraying tear gas and kicking and clubbing fleeing demonstrators.
Hundreds were arrested.
In the German city of Dortmund, more than 300 leftist rioters set fire to
train tracks and vandalized streetcars and buses after a May Day demonstration
against right-wing extremism got out of control. More than 130 protesters were
detained.
Clashes also broke out between police and demonstrators in Berlin, with
several reported injuries. Police said they detained rioters, but could not say
how many.
Hundreds of thousands of Russians took to the streets as an array of
political forces held marches and rallies to mark the holiday. The largest
gathering ¡ª estimated by police at 20,000 ¡ª was led by the pro-government United
Russia party and a government-approved trade union organization. But thousands
also turned out for a Communist Party demonstration.
In the Chinese territory of Macau, police fired shots into the air and used
pepper spray to disperse about 1,000 protesters who had veered off a march route
and tried to break through police lines. The demonstrators were demanding a
crackdown on illegal workers and corruption.
In the U.S., Latin American immigrants marched against U.S. immigration
policies, while other rallies were held across South America and Asia.