Labour Day parade returns to Havana for first time since Covid-19

Cubans participated in the traditional May Day parade Sunday at Havana's Revolution Square for the first time since the onset of the pandemic here in 2020.

The event, which celebrates International Workers' Day, was attended by Raul Castro, who helped lead Cuba's socialist revolution alongside his brother Fidel Castro, as well as Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, high-ranking officials, and heads of labour unions and other organisations.

Addressing the crowd, Ulises Guilarte, general secretary of the Workers Central Union, praised the people's efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and condemned the ongoing U.S.-led trade and financial blockade.

"The U.S. blockade against the island is the main obstacle to our development programs," Guilarte said, adding that despite the economic hardships caused by the sanctions, the Cuban people will continue to support socialist ideals and principles.

Thousands marched along Paseo Avenue, wearing face masks, waving Cuban flags, chanting patriotic songs, and holding banners that read: "Cuba lives and works."

Among them was Mario Chavez, a public-sector worker who attended the event with his wife and two teenage sons.

More than 1,000 social activists from around the world joined the celebration at Revolution Square as similar smaller parades took place across Cuba, where May Day parades have been an annual tradition since the victory of the 1959 revolution.