500,000 March in Havana on May Day Under Slogan 'The Homeland Must Be Defended'

Over 500,000 people marched in Havana and an estimated five million across Cuba for International Workers' Day under the slogan 'La Patria debe ser defendida' (The Homeland Must Be Defended). The march was organized by the Central Organization of Cuban Workers (CTC) and prominently featured electrical and petroleum workers — Cuba's front-line responders in the ongoing energy crisis. Former leader Raúl Castro (age 94) and President Miguel Díaz-Canel both participated in the capital. The massive turnout — the largest May Day rally in years — was mounted in explicit defiance of Trump administration pressure and sanctions. Washington issued new sanctions targeting Cuban security services personnel on the same day. The demonstrations reinforced the government's narrative that external pressure was galvanizing popular support for the Revolution.