Hundreds of thousands of Cubans filled the streets of Havana on Thursday for the May Day rally, denouncing the decades-long US embargo on the country and condemning Washington’s restrictions on the island’s international medical missions.

The demonstration marked the country’s first large-scale rally since 2022, taking place amid a deepening economic crisis and growing frustration over persistent fuel shortages.

Raul Castro makes a rare public appearance at Cuba’s giant May Day rally in Havana. Hundreds of thousands of workers belonging to the “Cuban Workers Central,” the country’s labor union confederation, are gathered right now in central Havana. pic.twitter.com/luL3wIv7qK

— red. (@redstreamnet) May 1, 2025

Cubans denounce embargo, medical mission sanctions

Marchers carried placards and chanted slogans such as “Down with the blockade” and “Long live free Cuba,” expressing unified opposition to the US policies that have constrained the Cuban economy and targeted its healthcare diplomacy.

The protest also condemned sanctions related to Cuba’s long-running program of dispatching doctors abroad, a key source of both revenue and international influence for Havana. The United States has labeled these missions as “forced labor", leading to new visa restrictions and broader punitive measures.

The rally stretched from Havana’s iconic Malecon seafront to Revolution Square, the symbolic heart of Cuba's government.

Havana’s Revolution Square packed with workers, medical staff

Among the most visible participants were doctors and nurses, many in white coats, who marched past the Jose Marti memorial chanting against the embargo.

“It’s important to come today to defend the revolution,” said Alexander Garcia, a 50-year-old laboratory technician who attended the rally on crutches, speaking to AFP.

Raul Castro, Diaz-Canel make appearance

The protest was attended by former president Raul Castro and current president Miguel Diaz-Canel, whose presence signaled high-level state support for the mobilization. From a viewing platform overlooking the square, they observed the march as chants echoed across the avenue.

Ulises Guilarte, head of the Workers’ Central Union of Cuba, addressed the crowd, accusing the US of attempting to “cause shortages and destabilize the country.” He described Washington’s campaign against Cuban medical brigades as “perverse", blaming it for worsening the economic crisis.

On his first day in office, US President Donald Trump reversed his predecessor Joe Biden’s move to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, a decision that led to heightened sanctions against the island.

Read more: US-funded Cuban media in peril as USAID faces dismantling