Painted by a local Committee for the Defense of the Revolution, this propaganda sign echoes dozens like it displayed across Cuba’s public landscapes. It refuses to admit opposition and insists that all Cubans agree: “We continue defending the Revolution.” In the early years of the Revolution, the state’s radical revision of property laws and redistribution of wealth confiscated from Cubans who fled Communist rule surely inspired mass support from many sectors. However, with the government’s elimination of the free press, independent unions, autonomous educational institutions and the right to protest, unanimity soon surpassed unity as leaders’ political goal. Messages like this one assisted in that campaign because they declared that everyone already agreed and there was no opposition. By implication, anyone who dared dissent was entirely alone. While foreigners often doubt whether any Cubans still support the regime or believe in “The Revolution”, the refurbishing of such signs under Raúl Castro and Miguel Díaz-Canel continue to send a related message: total intolerance of public dissent. Malecón, Havana, November 2011.
