Miami to Host Rally Marking Five Years Since Cuba's Historic July 11 Protests

The Cuban Freedom March organization has announced a rally in Miami's Calle Ocho on July 11, themed "Actions, Not Words," to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Cuba's momentous July 11 protests.

The event, named "Liberation Day Rally," is scheduled from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm outside La Casa del Preso at 1444 SW 8th St., in the heart of Little Havana. The march will begin at 5:30 pm, proceeding along Calle Ocho, passing the Bay of Pigs Museum and Little Havana, and concluding at Domino Park near the Tower Theater.

This mobilization is part of a broader day of events organized by the city of Miami and Commissioner Miguel Ángel Gabela Escalona. The day's activities will run from 1:00 pm to 10:00 pm, featuring art exhibitions, cultural performances, and community gatherings.

Alián Collazo, the executive director of Cuban Freedom March, shared with CubaNet the primary goal of the event: "July 11 will mark the fifth anniversary of the mass protests in Cuba. It's a full day of programming (...) and from 5 to 6 in the afternoon, it will be the March for Freedom because we are calling for actions, not just words."

Collazo emphasized that the day aims to show that the exile community has not forgotten the events of July 2021: "We want to demonstrate that we haven't forgotten July 11, that it marked a turning point in Cuban history and for the Cuban people."

The organizers also voiced their support for the sanctions imposed by the U.S. administration on the regime, while cautioning that these measures alone are insufficient.

"We appreciate the administration's sanctions and actions against the dictatorship, but we want to see tangible actions (...) because sanctions do put pressure, even on the highest levels of the dictatorship, but that alone won't bring change," he stressed.

The rally's demands also include recognition for those resisting the regime from within Cuba: "We are supporting the ongoing popular protests in the country and the risks our brothers and sisters are taking inside Cuba," Collazo noted.

The activist also warned against the political exploitation of the Cuban community in South Florida: "We don't want South Florida to be seen merely as a political issue to exploit during election times. We want the pressure to genuinely lead to the end of the dictatorship."

The protests on July 11, 2021, were the largest wave of anti-government demonstrations in Cuba since 1959, with thousands taking to the streets in over 40 cities demanding freedom and an end to the regime. The government's response involved a significant police and military operation. According to Justicia 11J, 1,558 individuals were detained, and as of May 2026, human rights organizations report 1,281 political prisoners in Cuba, at least 338 of them directly linked to July 11.

This fifth anniversary arrives amidst heightened tensions on the island, with over 1,300 protests recorded in May, primarily driven by power outages lasting up to 40 hours.

A symbolic element adds urgency to the date: the sentence of artist and political prisoner Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, founder of the San Isidro Movement, who was detained on July 11, 2021, is set to expire on July 9, just two days before the anniversary of the protests that led to his imprisonment.