Dictator’s Grandson Offers ‘White rose’ to Jailed Cuban Dissident, Sparking Outcry
HAVANA - Sandro Castro, grandson of the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro, posted an image to instagram referencing a “white rose” in connection to Cuban political prisoner José Daniel Ferrer, a gesture widely interpreted as alluding to José Martí’s poem “I grow a white rose,” a symbol of reconciliation and peace. the post, featuring a screenshot from Sandro Castro’s instagram account, has ignited controversy given Ferrer’s long-standing opposition to the Cuban government and documented experiences with political imprisonment and alleged torture.
Ferrer, currently exiled in Miami, has described Martí’s poem as an “emblem of their non-violent struggle against the Cuban dictatorship.” Castro’s post did not directly address Ferrer’s imprisonment, repression, or activism, but cited Martí in a manner some observers have called ambiguous.
Critics point to sandro Castro’s privileged background and alleged ties to Cuban State Security as undermining the sincerity of the gesture. Reports indicate Castro frequently comments on sensitive issues like blackouts, food shortages, and water supply deterioration, frequently enough from a detached and mocking perspective.
while Ferrer continues to denounce the Cuban regime’s repression, Castro’s public persona centers on a lifestyle of “frivolity, parties and his attempts to attract or divert the attention of Cubans,” according to reports. Many have expressed outrage, viewing Castro’s invocation of Martí’s symbolism as an appropriation of a powerful message from a position of inherited power.