Celebration, Sorrow and Slights Greet News of Castro's Death

From Cuban-American MLB star Jose Canseco to global politicians, the world reacts to the passing of Cuba's Fidel Castro

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World leaders, U.S. politicians and notable Cuban figures are reacting to the news that Fidel Castro, Cuba's longtime president and leader of its Communist revolution, passed away on Friday at the age of 90.

Current president Raul Castro announced his brother's death in a televised statement Friday night prompting Cuban-Americans in Miami to take to the streets in celebration. Online, responses to the iconic leader's death—a mix of praise and condemnation—reflected the divisiveness he stirred throughout his life. 

WORLD LEADERS 

Venezuela's president Nicolas Maduro, a strong ally of the Castro family, tweeted that he called Cuban president Raul Castro to send his solidarity and love to the Cuban people. He also shared iconic photos of Fidel Castro from the early days of the Cuban revolution, along with the revolutionary slogan, "toward victory, always."

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El Salvador's president Salvador Sanchez lamented the passing of "our dear friend and eternal companion," while Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto expressed his regret for the passing of an "emblematic" figure of the 20th Century.

Brazil's former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on his Facebook page that Castro was his "friend and companion" and the "greatest of all Latin Americans."

Silva said Castro was like an "older brother-an irreplaceable companion. He encouraged dreams of freedom. sovereignty and equality."

A statement from the Spanish government hailed Castro as "a figure of enormous historical importance."

"As a son of Spaniards, former president Castro always maintained close relations with Spain and showed great affection for his family and cultural ties," the government statement said.

However, there were shouts and insults in Madrid as a small crowd composed of both pro- and anti-Castro supporters met in front of the Cuban embassy.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi also called Castro "one of the most iconic personalities of the 20th Century" and said India stands in support of the Cuban government and people.

Pakistani politician and former cricket star Imran Khan tweeted that the world lost an “iconic revolutionary leader” who “liberated his nation from all vestiges of imperialism,” reasserting Cuba’s dignity and self worth.

Guyanese Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo said Castro shared his island's resources with any nation that dared ask for help.

The Castro government sent thousands of doctors and nurses to work in remote Caribbean areas where local and other foreign medical personnel had refused to go, Nagamootoo said.

"His and Cuba's contribution to humanity and the Caribbean is unmatched by any other nation in terms of brotherly and sisterly relations. He was an international gift to humanity," he said.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation, established to carry on the work of the late anti-apartheid leader who would go on to become South Africa's president, recounted the close relationship Mandela forged with the Cuban leader.

When Mandela became president in 1994 he was criticized by some in the West for his ties to Castro. Mandela replied that anyone who objected could "jump in the pool."

"The first country we approached (for assistance in battling apartheid) was the United States of America. We could not even succeed to come close to the government, and they refused to assist us," Mandela said in a 1990 documentary to explain his loyalty to Castro. "But Cuba, the moment we appealed for assistance they were ready to do so and they did so."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined the chorus of admirers, calling Castro "a legendary revolutionary and orator" and a "remarkable leader."

"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,'''said Trudeau, whose late father, former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, had a warm friendship with Castro.

Trudeau's reaction prompted strong criticism on Twitter from two Republican U.S. senators, Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas, both Cuban-Americans.

"Is this a real statement or a parody? Because if this is a real statement from the PM of Canada it is shameful (and) embarrassing," Rubio tweeted. Cruz wrote: "Disgraceful. Why do young socialists idolize totalitarian tyrants? Castro, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot -- all evil, torturing murderers."

Former Soviet statesman Mikhail Gorbachev hailed Castro as an "outstanding man," noting his efforts to dismantle the colonial system and strengthen his country in the face of U.S. blockades."His role in strengthening his country was immense even in the last years, when he gave up formal power,” Gorbachev told the Inferfax news agency.

North Korean's Kim Jong Un expressed his confidence that the Cuban people will make great socialist achievements "under the wise leadership of Raul Castro," in a condolence letter reported by state TV.

U.S. LEADERS

President Obama called for continued partnership between Cuba and the United States in a statement. 

"Today, we offer condolences to Fidel Castro's family, and our thoughts and prayers are with the Cuban people," Obama said in the statement. "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."

Obama's statement also referenced the impact Castro had on the lives of the Cuban people and the entire world. "History will record and judge the enormous impact of this singular figure on the people and world around him," the statement read. 

President-elect Donald Trump posted his first reaction to the news on Twitter Saturday morning, writing simply: "Fidel Castro is Dead!" 

Trump then issued a scathing criticism of Castro later Saturday morning, writing in a statement: "Today, the world marks the passing of a brutal dictator who oppressed his own people for nearly six decades. Fidel Castro’s legacy is one of firing squads, theft, unimaginable suffering, poverty and the denial of fundamental human rights." 

U.S. Senator and former Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio also condemned Castro in a statement, writing in part: "One thing is clear, history will not absolve Fidel Castro; it will remember him as an evil, murderous dictator who inflicted misery and suffering on his own people."

Florida Rep. Ilena Ros-Lehtinen, Chairman Emeritus of the House Foreign Affairs Committee called Castro “a tyrant" in a statement heralding "a new beginning" for Cuba, "the last remaining communist bastion of the Western hemisphere.”

Florida Rep. Carlos Curbelo, the son of Cuban exiles, tweeted in both English and Spanish, "The passing of the dictator marks the end of a long, horrifying chapter in #Cuba's history. The #Cuban people need our solidarity."

FILE---Cuban President Fidel Castro replies to President Kennedy's naval blockade via Cuban radio and television on October 23, 1962. To defuse the Cuban missile crisis, President Kennedy promised not to invade the island nation, but newly declassified documents show he later retreated from the pledge, fearing Cuba could become an ``invulnerable base.'' The change of heart meant that the U.S.-Soviet understandings that resolved the 1962 crisis were never made permanent. (AP Photo/file)
Fidel Castro came into power in Cuba in 1959, transforming the country into the first communist state in the Western Hemisphere. Born on Aug. 13, 1926, the dictator was the country's Prime Minister from 1959 to 1976 and President from 1976 to 2008. Click through to see more from the life and times of Fidel Castro.
In 1947 Castro joined an expedition to the Dominican Republic in a failed attempt to overthrow dictator Rafael Trujillo. Castro also became an advocate for the independence of Puerto Rico and opposed U.S. intervention in the Caribbean.
In 1953, Castro and roughly 150 supporters of the left wing Ortodoxo Party made an attempt to overthrow the government of General Fulgencio Batista. Castro was captured, tried and sentenced to 15 years of prison. His opposition made Castro famous throughout Cuba.
Castro, the young anti-Batista Guerilla leader, center, is seen with his brother Raul Castro, left, and Camilo Cienfuegos, right, while operating in the mountains of eastern Cuba on March 14, 1957.
Raul Castro (left) embraces Ernesto "Che" Guevara, who became second-in-command during the Cuban Revolution. By 1958, the guerrilla had made a series of successful military campaigns throughout Cuba, causing the fall of Fulgencio Batista's government. In 1959, a new government was created with Fidel as prime minister.
In 1960, Cuba and the Soviet Union began trading, as Castro bought oil from Premier Nikita Khrushchev. After U.S. refineries in Cuba refused to refine Soviet oil, Castro expropriated the refineries, creating tension between Cuba and the U.S.
Castro harvests sugar cane in a Cuban field on Oct. 10, 1962. This occurred six months after the Cuban government begun rationing food.
Che Guevara (right) and his daughter Aleida appear with Castro in this photo taken around 1963.
In this photo, Castro replies to President Kennedy's U.S. naval blockade of Cuba via radio and television on Oct. 23, 1962. The conflict, known as the Cuban missile crisis, started after aerial photos showed the Soviet Union was deploying nuclear missiles in Cuba to bolster Castro, and to be able to strike the U.S.
This outdoor portrait of Castro was taken in Cuba in 1966, around the time he proclaimed that "revolutionaries in any corner of the world" can count on the assistance of Cuban fighters at a conference of solidarity with the peoples of Africa, Asia and Latin America.
According to Fabian Escalante, a former security chief who was in charge of protecting El Commandante, there have been 638 attempts on Castro's life since he came to power in 1959. Castro was attributed with saying that "if surviving assassination attempts were an Olympic event, I would win the gold medal."
In 1980, Castro announced that Cubans wishing to emigrate to the U.S. are free to board boats at the port of Mariel, launching the Mariel Boatlift. The first of 125,000 Cuban refugees from Mariel reached Florida the next day.
Castro, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and Raul Castro stand at attention during a gun salute at the Jose Marti Airport in Havana on Sunday, April 2, 1989. Gorbachev made his first visit to Cuba in order to meet with Castro.
Nelson Madela joins Castro in the city of Matanzas for the celebrations hat marked the 38th anniversary of the revolution on July 27, 1991.
Castro visits China's Tiananmen Square on Dec. 2, 1995.
Castro meets with Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama in Tokyo in 1995. Murayama advised Castro to improve his human rights record in order to improve Cuban relations with Japan.
Castro greets Pope John Paul II as he arrives at Jose Marti Airport on Jan. 21, 1998.
Castro met with brother Raul during a meeting of the Cuban National Assembly in 1999. The assembly debated and resolved that Elian Gonzalez, the boy who survived a boat accident when he tried to leave Cuba with his mother, should be returned to Cuba. The incident was controversial when his Miami relatives sought to keep him in the U.S.
In 2001, hurricane Michelle caused major damage in Cuba. Castro declined U.S. humanitarian aid, but proposed a one-time cash purchase of food. George W. Bush's administration complied, authorizing the shipment of food.
Castro talked with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at a rally to dedicate a new economic project to help poor fishermen. Cuba and Venezuela have kept close diplomatic relationships. Both leaders have also been outspoken against the influence of the U.S. in Latin America.
In 2006 a Forbes magazine report called Castro one of the world's wealthiest rulers, estimating Castro's personal wealth to be $900 million, according to The Associated Press. Castro publicly denied this on various Cuban news outlets.
In 2006, after undergoing intestinal surgery, Fidel Castro temporarily relinquished his presidential powers to his brother Raul.
After nearly a half-century in power, Castro announced his resignation as president on Feb. 19, 2008, handing off power to his brother Raul. After that decision, Cuba begun a series of economic reforms, allowing Cubans in certain private activities to hire people other than their relatives.
Castro stands next to unidentified people during a visit to the National Center for Scientific Investigation in Havana on July 7, 2010.
Pope Benedict XVI, on his visit to Cuba on March 2012, meets with Castro in Havana.
In early 2012, Castro met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Havana.
During his retirement, Castro had taken to writing an opinion column called "Reflections of Fidel." But from mid-November to early January of 2012, Castro stopped publishing, which sparked rumors about his declining health. A Venezuelan doctor claimed in October that Castro had suffered a stroke, The Associated Press reported.
Castro votes at a polling station during parliament elections in Havana, Cuba, Feb. 3, 2013. Castro, who appears in public only occasionally, was among more than 8 million islanders eligible to vote and approve 612 members of the National Assembly and over 1,600 provincial delegates.
Castro attends the inauguration of the cultural center, Studio Kcho Romerillo, Laboratory for Art, in Havana, Cuba, on Jan. 8, 2014. It was his first public appearance in nine months.
Castro, right, speaks with China's President Xi Jinping in Havana, Cuba, Tuesday, July 22, 2014.
Cuba's Fidel Castro, center, meets with Russia's President Vladimir Putin, right, in Havana, Cuba, Friday, July 11, 2014.
Children dressed as Cuban revolutionaries attend a caravan tribute marking the 56th anniversary of the original street party that greeted a triumphant Fidel Castro and his rebel army, in Regla, Cuba, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015. Castro ended his long silence over his country's decision to restore diplomatic ties with the U.S., writing that he backs the negotiations even though he distrusts politics in Washington.

CELEBRITIES

Singer Gloria Estefan, who's father worked as a bodyguard for Cuban President Fulgencio Batista, wrote on Instagram that Castro's death has "renewed hope" for Cubans who fled his dictatorship. 

"Although the death of a human being is rarely cause for celebration, it is the symbolic death of the destructive ideologies that he espoused that, I believe, is filling the Cuban exile community with renewed hope and a relief that has been long in coming," Estefan wrote. 

Cuban-American major league baseball star Jose Canseco tweeted that he can't say he feels anything in response to Castro's death. "There is a reason many defected to USA," he said.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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