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Fidel Castro's Death

Fidel Castro's Death

Updated Nov 29, 2016 at 03:57PM EST by Don.

Added Nov 29, 2016 at 02:42PM EST by Don.

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Overview

Fidel Castro was a revolutionary and politician who served as the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008. While he was praised by many for expanding various socialist institutions in the country, including education and healthcare, others have criticized him as a dictator responsible for numerous human rights violations and executions. His death, which occurred in late November 2016, sparked many online conversations regarding the controversial political figure.

Background

On November 25th, 2016, Raúl Castro announced on state television that his brother Fidel had passed away earlier that evening. The following day, Castro was cremated according to stipulations within his will. From November 28th to the 29th, his ashes were placed on display at the José Martí Memorial in Havana for Cubans to pay their respects. Starting on November 29th, his ashes will be carried to Santiago de Cuba along a 560 miles route.



Developments

Celebrations in Miami

Following the announcement, Cuban-Americans celebrated Castro's death on the streets of Miami, Florida (shown below).



Online Reactions

Barack Obama's Statement

That day, United States President Barack Obama issued a statement about Castro's death, which discussed improving relations with Cuba and extended condolences to the Castro family (shown below).[2]


Statement by the President on the Passing of Fidel Castro At this time of Fidel Castro's passing, we extend a hand of friendship to the Cuban people. We know that this moment fills Cubans - in Cuba and in the United States - with powerful emotions, recalling the countless ways in which Fidel Castro altered the course of individual lives, families, and of the Cuban nation. History will record and judge the enormous impact of this singular figure on the people and world around him. For nearly six decades, the relationship between the United States and Cuba was marked by discord and profound political disagreements. During my presidency, we have worked hard to put the past behind us, pursuing a future in which the relationship between our two countries is defined not by our differences but by the many things that we share as neighbors and friends - bonds of family, culture, commerce, and common humanity. This engagement includes the contributions of Cuban Americans, who have done so much for our country and who care deeply about their loved ones in Cuba Today, we offer condolences to Fidel Castro's family, and our thoughts and prayers are with the Cuban people. In the days ahead, they will recall the past and also look to the future. As they do, the Cuban people must know that they have a friend and partner in the United States of America.

Donald Trump's Statement

Also on November 26th, United States President-elect Donald Trump tweeted the message "Fidel Castro is dead!" (shown below).[3] Within 72 hours, the tweet received more than 140,000 likes and 31,000 retweets. Later that same day, Trump posted a longer statement on his official Facebook[4] page, where he referred to Castro as a "brutal dictator" who caused "tragedies, deaths and pain."


Donald J. Trump @realDonald Trump Fidel Castro is dead! RETWEETS LIKES 100,793 208,960 国国瞿弦 搐判 g罩 8:08 AM 26 Nov 2016 わ29K 다 100K 210K

Justin Trudeau's Statement

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau released a statement praising Castro as a "legendary revolutionary and orator" and noting that it was "a real honor" to have met him during a visit to Cuba (shown below).


The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on the death of former Cuban President Fidel Castro: "It is with deep sorrow that I learned today of the death of Cuba's longest serving President. "Fidel Castro was a larger than life leader who served his people for almost half a century. A legendary revolutionary and orator, Mr. Castro made significant improvements to the education and healthcare of his island nation. "While a controversial figure, both Mr. Castro's supporters and detractors recognized his tremendous dedication and love for the Cuban people who had a deep and lasting affection for el Comandante "I know my father was very proud to call him a friend and I had the opportunity to meet Fidel when my father passed away. It was also a real honour to meet his three sons and his brother President Raúl Castro during my recent visit to Cuba. "On behalf of all Canadians, Sophie and I offer our deepest condolences to the family, friends and many, many supporters of Mr. Castro. We join the people of Cuba today in mourning the loss of this remarkable leader."

Following the release of the statement, critics of Castro's regime condemned Trudeau for praising the deceased leader without mentioning his human rights record.[5] On Twitter, many mocked the statement in tweets praising other controversial figures, along with the hashtag #TrudeauEulogies[6] (shown below).


Michael Malice @michaelmalice Following Osama bin Laden revolutionized the way we look at the uses of modern aircraft. He will be missed. #TrudeauEulogies @JustinTrudeau RETWEETS LIKES P- 1:06 PM-26 Nov 2016 4 66 118 Rob Petkau @MADCOWofGENESIS Follow Today we mourn the loss of Emperor Palpatine. An electric personality and man of enormous vision. #TrudeaEulogies RETWEETS LIKES 8 19 5:14 PM 27 Nov 2016 17 8 819

Meanwhile, users on 4chan's /pol/ board began speculating that Trudeau was Castro's illegitimate son, comparing various photographs of the two men (shown below).[1] Additionally, a photograph of Castro holding Trudeau's late brother Michel began circulating on social media, with some falsely identifying the child as Justin Trudeau.[7]


■ Trudeau/Castro investigation thread Anonymous (ID,TE0TZAw②) 11/27/16(Sun)11:06:11 No.100445694圄 2100445806 100445868 100445929 100445995 100446001 100446201100446637 100446954 100447130 -100448247 100448314 100448661 100449305 100449859 100449920100450310 >100450960 >100452461100455368 >100456683 3032100460908210 Previous thread: 22100433376 22100433376 → >> 100433376 → Anonymous (ID: GESOTA)M 11/27/16(Sun)11:07:47 No. 100445806 2100445694 (OP now do a justin/elliott comparison Anonymous (ID: 5WWmg Y6)I1 11/27/16(Sun)11:08:41 No. 1004458631004461172100449336 2100450856 22100452455100453793 22100455528 2100461709 100464408 File: 1452380411486.ipg (1.51 MB, 1413x5104) Summery image

Quote Hoax

Shortly after Castro's death was announced, a joke began circulating online attributing the false quote "I will not die until America is destroyed" to Castro, insinuating that the former Cuban leader had died as a result of election of Donald Trump. On November 27th, Snopes[8] published an article listing the quote as "False."

Search Interest

External References

[1] Archive.is – 4chan thread on Trudeau Castro investigation

[2] WhiteHouse.gov – "Statement by the President on the Passing of Fidel Castro

[3] Twitter – @realDonaldTrump

[4] Facebook – Donald J Trump

[5] UpRoxx – Justin Trudeaus Statement On The Passing Of Fidel Castro Prompts A Wave Of Negativity From Critics

[6] Twitter – #TrudeauEulogies

[7] Gizmodo – No thats not baby Justin Trudeau

[8] Snopes – Cuban Bizarre

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Top Comments

Gobblecoque
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Gobblecoque

in reply to Asura

Here let me add a few for you, since you seem to have forgotten some things.
13. Roaming death squads gunning people down in the streets
14. Hundreds if not thousands of people held in prison without charges.
15. Almost no private industry
16. Mass executions of political dissenters
17. Executions of gay men via death squads

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