With deep sorrow and sadness, we received the news on the passing, this Friday, 25th of November, 2016, of the Commander in Chief of the Cuban Revolution and hero of the peoples struggling for sovereignty, justice and peace, comrade Fidel Castro Ruz.
The World Peace Council expresses its sorrow for the loss of the great fighter for humanity and also reaffirms its conviction and commitment with the peoples' noblest principles, defended by Commander Fidel, fuelled with the strength of his inspiration and the courage of his struggle. We also express our solidarity with our Cuban friend organizations, the Cuban Movement for Peace and the Peoples' Sovereignty (MOVPAZ), a WPC member, and the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP).
Fidel has dedicated his life to defend Cuba's popular and national sovereignty, the friendly peoples and the humanity, the de-colonization and the revolution, against the militarization, the foreign interferences and wars, facing the most aggressive power in the planet, the imperialism rooted in the hegemonic world order and numerous attempts at destabilization and the Revolution's destruction.
He has also defeated almost 600 attempts against his own life by the agents of the US intelligence services, who trembled before the revolution's power to face the system of domination, exploitation, threats and terror on which imperialism is sustained.
This year, among Fidel's cherished texts, we read about his conviction on the Cuban people's victory, in his speech at the 7th Congress, when Fidel said: “We will take the march forward and will perfect what we must perfect, with meridian loyalty and united strength, like Martí, Maceo and Gómez, in an unstoppable march.”
With him we also remembered that “peace has been the golden dream and the desire of all peoples in each moment of History”, and that “to struggle for peace is the holiest duty of all human beings, whatever their religion of homeland, the colour of their skin, their adult or young age.”
The nation friend of the peoples, the Cuban people, mourns the Revolution's Commander in Chief, and with the people we grieve. But with Fidel's lessons, we know that we must continue forward, strong and resisting, while we build a world of social justice, national sovereignty, peace and friendship for which we have always fought, inspired by him and other brave heroes.
Together, the peoples can defeat imperialism and build a world of cooperation, justice and peace.
Hasta siempre, comandante!
Socorro Gomes
President of the World Peace Council