In a powerful display of national solidarity, thousands of Cubans gathered Friday outside the U.S. Embassy in Havana to rally behind 94-year-old former president Raul Castro, who was recently indicted on criminal charges by a U.S. federal court. The gathering, which included current Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel and other senior government officials dressed in military-style fatigues, echoed with the unified chant of “Long live Raul!” as attendees waved large Cuban flags and held up printed portraits of the former leader. The 94-year-old, younger brother of iconic Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro, was formally charged with murder and additional felony counts this Wednesday. The charges stem from the 1996 downing of two civilian aircraft operated by a U.S.-based anti-Castro group, a move widely framed as the latest escalation in the Trump administration’s escalating pressure campaign targeting Cuba’s communist leadership. The aging former leader, whose health has declined in recent years, did not attend the demonstration, which was held at the “Anti-Imperialist Platform” public park located directly across the street from the U.S. diplomatic mission. However, two of his children were on hand to represent the family: Mariela Castro, a prominent national legislator and LGBTQ+ rights advocate, and Alejandro Castro, a key architect of the 2015 historic rapprochement between Cuba and the U.S. negotiated during the Raul Castro administration and former U.S. president Barack Obama’s term. Raul Castro led Cuba for 15 years after assuming the presidency from his ailing brother Fidel in 2006, stepping down from the top post in 2018. His unexpected indictment has amplified widespread anxiety across Cuba that the U.S. could pursue further aggressive action to destabilize the island’s government, capping months of mounting pressure that includes a devastating oil embargo that has strained the country’s economy and critical infrastructure. These fears were amplified by the January arrest of Venezuelan socialist leader Nicolas Maduro, who was taken into custody by U.S. agents at his Caracas residence on drug trafficking charges and extradited to the U.S. to face trial. In her first public remarks from the Castro family since the indictment was announced, Mariela Castro pushed back on speculation that the U.S. would attempt to abduct her father, telling reporters she had no fear of such an outcome. “I am not afraid because I know they will not do it,” she stated, adding that when the former president is asked about the charges, “he smiles like an old guerrilla fighter who knows he’s safe, with one foot in the stirrup, and that no one is going to kidnap him.” The vast majority of attendees were public sector and state enterprise employees, who said their participation was driven by a sense of patriotic duty. Gilberto Gonzalez, a 59-year-old worker at a state-run flour mill, told reporters he joined the rally to stand in solidarity with the former leader. “We are reaffirming the conviction we have to continue fighting and support our General Raul Castro, who has been unjustly accused in the United States,” Gonzalez said. Gerardo Hernandez, a former Cuban intelligence officer who was released from a U.S. prison as part of the 2015 normalization deal, delivered a personal message from Raul Castro to the assembled crowd. The former president “says he thanks our people from the bottom of his heart for their solidarity” and “that as long as he lives, he will continue to lead our people and defend our revolution,” Hernandez told the gathering.