Within minutes news of Fidel Castro’s death was trending on Twitter, with 350,000 tweets within an hour of the announcement on Cuban national television. Wikipedia had almost instantly updated its entry on the leader of the small Caribbean island who inspired revolutionary movements throughout the world.
Fidel’s key allies in the region, leaders of the left-wing movements and governments which were inspired by the Cuban revolution, responded quickly to the news:
Se fue un grande. Murió Fidel.
— Rafael Correa (@MashiRafael) November 26, 2016
¡Viva Cuba! ¡Viva América Latina!
Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa: “A great one is gone. Long live Cuba ! Long live Latin America !”
Ecuador’s Foreign Minister, Guillaume Long, was devastated by the news:
Infinita tristeza por fallecimiento de Fidel. Abrazo eterno a pueblo cubano en este momento de dolor y desconsuelo.El mundo llora un gigante
— Guillaume Long (@GuillaumeLong) November 26, 2016
“Infinite sadness for the death of Fidel. Eternal embrace of Cuban people in this moment of pain and grief. The world mourns a giant.”
President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro Tweeted:
Acabo de hablar con el Presidente RaúlCastro para transmitir la Solidaridad y Amor al PueblodeCuba ante la partida del ComandanteFidelCastro
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) November 26, 2016
“I just finished speaking with President Raul Castro to offer Solidarity and Love to the Cuban People on the departure of Comandante Fidel Castro.”
Fidel y Chávez construyeron el ALBA,PetroCaribe y dejaron abonado el Camino de la Liberación de nuestros Pueblos...La Historia los Absolvió pic.twitter.com/hexgMJ0rmn
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) November 26, 2016
“Fidel and Chavez built ALBA, PetroCaribe, and paved the way for the Liberation of our People”
A tod@s l@s Revolucionari@s del Mundo nos toca seguir con su Legado y su Bandera de Independencia,de Socialismo,de Patria Humana...
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) November 26, 2016
“To all the Revolutionaries of the World we have to continue with his Legacy and his Flag of Independence, of Socialism, of his Homeland.”
However The extent of condolences for Fidel Castro's death transcends geographic or political boundaries.
Pakistani presidential candidate and world famous cricketer Imran Khan was one of the first international politicians to react to the news, celebrating Fidel’s example to the world:
1. Today the world lost an iconic revolutionary leader Fidel Castro who liberated his nation from all vestiges of imperialism.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) November 26, 2016
2. Castro reasserted the Cuban nation's dignity & self worth that withstood US aggression & became a global ldr for anti colonial struggles
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) November 26, 2016
India’s right-wing President Narendra Modi expressed his condolences and called Fidel a great friend to India:
I extend my deepest condolences to the Government & people of Cuba on the sad demise of Fidel Castro. May his soul rest in peace.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 26, 2016
Fidel Castro was one of the most iconic personalities of the 20th century. India mourns the loss of a great friend.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 26, 2016
Thousands remembered Fidel's legendary solidarity with freedom movements throughout the world:
Fidel Castro worked with many African leaders like Kwame Nkrumah, Mandela, Malcolm X, and others pic.twitter.com/xm8k3MBLT2
— Tariq Nasheed (@tariqnasheed) November 26, 2016
Not only did Fidel Castro & Cuba help end apartheid in South Africa, he also helped the African nation of Angola win it's independence pic.twitter.com/Ek59YI4lNG
— Tariq Nasheed (@tariqnasheed) November 26, 2016
"They talk about the failure of socialism but where is the success of capitalism in Africa, Asia and Latin America?"
— Shaka Sisulu (@ShakaSisulu) November 26, 2016
- Fidel Castro pic.twitter.com/9UzztXofPQ
As well as his lifelong commitment to the principles of mutual aid:
Also sent hundreds of Cuban doctors to Pakistan after the 2005 earthquake in Kashmir. https://t.co/6qU4saXy9p
— Murtaza Hussain (@MazMHussain) November 26, 2016
Fidel Castro described Israel’s Obama-backed 2014 offensive in Gaza as a “new, repugnant form of fascism” https://t.co/6AIvgocaVm
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) November 26, 2016
Many noted Fidel's ability to resist an estimated 638 U.S. assassination attempts:
Fidel Castro was the only dude the CIA couldn't kill. Dude died at 90 surrounded by his loved ones. The CIA salty as hellllllll, fam.
— joe prince (@jpya_) November 26, 2016
Man. Fidel Castro really outlived all the American presidents who tried to depose him.
— wikipedia brown (@eveewing) November 26, 2016
In Miami, the heart of the far-right Cuban exile community who fled Fidel's reforms, the reaction was predictable, with dozens celebrating in the streets:
LIVE on #Periscope: Cubans celebrate Fidel Castro's death in Little Havana in Miami https://t.co/ZyVFko7p8j
— Vera Bergengruen (@VeraMBergen) November 26, 2016
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, senior Republican representative for Florida, was already plotting:
We must seize the moment and help write a new chapter in the history of #Cuba; that of a Cuba that is free, democratic, and prosperous.
— Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (@RosLehtinen) November 26, 2016
Others noted the hypocrisy of those celebrating Fidel's death:
People are celebrating the death of former Cuba pres. Fidel Castro by saying he was a "tyrant",yet Black ppl HERE are being legally executed
— Tariq Nasheed (@tariqnasheed) November 26, 2016
While countless others expressed deep gratitude for his remarkable life and legacy:
We have to say goodbye to an amazing leader, Fidel Castro, for absolutely shaping the world we live in. Just wonderful. Amazing ����
— Matt (@SecretiveAgents) November 26, 2016