Cuba passes law that bans naming sites after Fidel Castro

Cuba passes law that bans naming sites after Fidel Castro
Reuters

Cuba's National Assembly approved a law on Tuesday that bans
commemorative statues of Fidel Castro and naming public places after
him, in accordance with the wishes of the revolutionary leader, who died
last month.

Castro always said he did not want a cult of personality, although
critics point out that the cult was everywhere. His words are posted on
billboards nationwide and his name is invoked at every public event.

"His fighting spirit will remain in the conscience of all Cuban
revolutionaries, today, tomorrow and always," President Raul Castro,
Fidel's younger brother, told the Assembly, according to excerpts of his
speech published by official media.

The best way to pay homage to "El Comandante" - the commander - is to
follow his concept of revolution, the president said.

The new law does not ban artists from using Fidel Castro's figure in
music, literature, dance, cinema or other visual arts, official media
specified. Photos of him hanging in offices, places of study or public
institutions also may be kept.

Every since his death, a large photo of a young Castro dressed in
military fatigues, with a rifle and pack slung over his back, has hung
from a building in Havana's Revolution Square.

Castro, a leading Cold War figure who built a communist state on the
doorstep of the United States and defied U.S. attempts to topple him,
died on Nov. 25 at the age of 90, eight years after handing the
presidency over to Raul.

Cuba commemorated his death with nine official days of mourning and two
mass memorial services.

Hundreds of thousands of Cubans also turned out to greet a funeral
cortege carrying Castro's ashes 600 miles (1,000 km) east to Santiago,
retracing the route that his rebels took when they overthrew the
U.S.-backed Fulgencio Batista in 1959.

(Reporting by Sarah Marsh and Marc Frank; Editing by Bill Trott and
Steve Orlofsky)

Source: Cuba passes law that bans naming sites after Fidel Castro -
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