Raúl Castro, 94, joined Havana's May Day parade that passed the waterfront and the U.S. embassy as tensions with Washington intensify. Cuba says U.S. oil restrictions since January have forced rationing and drawn a U.N. warning about humanitarian risks. The former leader was presented with a book of more than 6 million signatures pledging to defend the nation, while authorities reported over 500,000 participants in Havana despite a scaled-back mobilization.
Raúl Castro, 94, Joins Havana May Day March as U.S.-Cuba Tensions Escalate
Cuba's former President Raul Castro arrives for a May Day rally, in Havana, Cuba, May 1, 2026. REUTERS/Norlys Perez
Raúl Castro, 94, joined thousands of Cubans in Havana's International Workers' Day parade on Friday, a procession that moved along the capital's waterfront and passed the U.S. embassy amid sharply heightened tensions between Havana and Washington.
The Cuban government says U.S. measures since January amount to an oil blockade that has forced rationing of essential services and prompted a U.N. warning about the risk of a humanitarian crisis. White House officials told Reuters that President Donald Trump is expanding sanctions targeting people, entities and affiliates linked to Cuba's security apparatus.
Cuba’s former President Raul Castro, Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel and Raul Castro's grandson Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, known as “El Cangrejo” attend a May Day parade, in Havana, Cuba May 1, 2026. REUTERS/Norlys Perez
During the march, Castro — who stepped down as president in 2018 — was presented with a book reportedly holding more than 6 million signatures, which organisers say represents nearly two-thirds of Cuba's population and signals public support for resisting a possible direct U.S. military intervention.
'Today Cuba demonstrated once again that this people does not give up, and that we will defend our homeland tooth and nail, even though we want peace,' said Milagros Morales, 34, a Havana resident who took part in the parade.
Officials acknowledged that this year's demonstration was scaled back compared with past May Day mobilisations because the government could not provide the usual transportation and special routes — a shortfall they attribute to U.S. oil restrictions. Still, authorities in Havana reported more than half a million participants.
Cuba's former President Raul Castro and Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel arrive for a May Day rally as Raul Castro's grandson Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, known as "El Cangrejo" and chief of Raul Castro’s security, gestures, in Havana, Cuba, May 1, 2026. REUTERS/Norlys Perez
Diplomatic engagement between the two countries continued this month, with delegations from the United States and Cuba holding talks on the island as Washington presses Havana for economic reforms. No formal agreement has been announced.
Media reports say Castro's son, Alejandro Castro, and his grandson, Raúl Rodríguez, have been in contact with U.S. officials — a sign of the Castro family's continuing influence despite Raúl Castro's retirement from office.
Cuba's former President Raul Castro, Cuba's President and First Secretary of the Communist Party Miguel Diaz-Canel and his wife Lis Cuesta Peraza watch a May Day rally in Havana, Cuba May 1, 2025. REUTERS/Norlys Perez
Walking in military uniform beside President Miguel Díaz-Canel and other officials under the hot Caribbean sun, Raúl Castro appeared fatigued at times and briefly had to sit down during the ceremony.
Reporting by Ayose Naranjo; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by Mark Porter.
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