Last modified: 2005-06-25 by dov gutterman
Keywords: cuba | july 26 | alpha 66 | brigade 2506 | organizacion autentica | autentica | communist party | omega 7 |
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by Ivan Sache , 22 December 1999
by Maikel Arista-Salado, 4 June 2005
In the center appears frequently a star (white or yellow) or
M26, 26-7, 26J, etc...
Jaume Olle'
The flag of the 26 July Movement, as far as I can remember,
didn't spell 26 de Julio but M-26-7. Perhaps there is two
different versions.
Carlos M. Ramos , 7 Febuary 2000
The July 26th Movement flag appeared in several ways, two of
which were most prominent: one was the red above the black with a
white five point star in the centre, the other was the acronym
'M-26-7' in white letters in the middle, so that the top half
overlapped the red and the bottom the black. Alternately it could
appear with the '26 de Julio' in the middle or the phrase
"Libertad o Muerte" (Liberty or Death) in the middle in
white letters sometimes script, sometimes printed. I have seen
the originals of these versions in the Cuban revolutionary museum
in Havana (formerly Batista's palace).
Greg Dubecky, 18 February 2001
Eons ago, my parents' Caribbean cruise stopped in Havana. It
was shortly after Castro had seized power, and realtions with the
US had not been severed. They brought me back a souvenir flag/pin
which was red over black with a gold "26" on it.
Whether that had any official status or was just an abridged
version of a larger flag (to fit in a lapel) I don't know.
Al Kirsch, 19 February 2001 and 25 May 2002
The 26th of July Movement (Movimiento 26 de Julio) constituted
Fidel Castro's personal political following during the
anti-Batista period, founded 26 July 1956 (?), from which the
Communist Party was formed.
Source: Political Handbook of the World 1997
Jarig Bakker, 26 May 2002
Your source may not be reliable. My memory was that 26 July
was the anniversary of Castro's unsuccessful assault on the
Moncada Barracks. See <www.grossmont.net/mmckenzie/moncada.htm>.
The year was 1953. Cuba's Communist Party is much older than
that.
Al Kirsch, 26 May 2002
On 15 May 1947 Fidel Castro (while a student at the Univerity
of Havana) was a founding member of the Partido Del Pueblo Cubano
(later Partido Ortodoxo), devoted to political reform. In 1952 he
ran for Congress on this party ticket, but Batista cancelled the
elections in a bloodless coup. Castro consequently founded a
revolutionary movement which mounted its first attack (by 100
men) on the Batista regime on 26 July 1953 at Moncada Army
Barracks, Santiago. The attack was a dismal failure.
The few survivors were tried and imprisoned, but Castro's speech
in his defence was a propaganda coup as a call for revolution
("la historia me absolverá"). He was released on 15
May 1955 in a general amnesty. He and a few followers went
to Mexico on 24 June 1955, and in July 1955 organised the
Movimiento Revolucionario 26 de Julio (MR-26-7), named for their
first revolutionary act in 1953. On 30 November 1956, 300
men (led by Frank País) wearing red and black armbands with the
July 26 emblem (the first public display of this insignia?)
attacked police headquarters, the Customs House and the harbour
headquarters in Santiago. Two days later, 80 men led by
Castro in a leaky boat ("Granma") landed in Cuba to
resume to 1953 revolution. This too was a disaster, but 12
survivors fled to the Sierra Maestra and organised the first
guerrilla unit of the 26 July Movement on 18 December 1956.
Twenty-five months later the victorious movement entered Havana
and Batista fled. The former Batista Presidential Palace is
now the Museum of the Revolution and contains "Granma",
and countless artifacts and insignia and flags of the 26 July
Movement. To this day Castro wears a red/black lozenge of the 26
July Movement as his shoulder rank insignia for General of the
Army. (Other rank insignia are Russian-style shoulder
boards.)
During a few speeches in 1961, Castro began to refer to the
revolution as "socialist" and Marxist-Leninist.
On 3 October 1965 the new Communist Party was founded (originally
established in 1925). The First Congress of the Communist
Party met in 1975 and drafted a new constitution.
T.F. Mills, 30 May 2002
In Cuba there is a flag that's seen almost as the National
Flag but given scant attention as it doesn't enjoy the status and
rank of the national flag. Im talking about the flag
of the 26 July Movement the organization that deposed the
dictator Batista, and led by Fidel Castro (1953-1959).
The Movement adopted this name as it was on 26 July 1953 that the
struggle began to evict the tyrant from the Presidency. On that
day occurred the assault on regime strongholds of Moncada and
Carlos Manuel de Cispedes the former the second most
important in the country. This historic event made Fidel a
household name in Cuba. From that point to the final
victory, the 26 July Movement become known the length and breadth
of the country, its emblem stuck on doors and windows as a sign
of approval. That custom stuck, and on anniversaries of the
Revolution, both flags are hoisted together.
The flag is used de facto, that is, it has no official
standing at law but is used informally as a sign of loyalty to
the Government and a signal of approval.
In many workplaces, offices and so on, it often appears together
with the national flag, in many cases of equal height and size
with the national flag, notwithstanding that it has no other
status than that of an historical curiosity that had its time and
place in the struggle against Batista.
To note is its similarity with the flag of the Sandinistas although with
colours reversed.
Maikel Arista-Salado (translated by Tony Burton),
21 September 2004
Currently this flag is of official use, almost at the same
level as thre national flag. It is also shown on the site of the
Heralatin School of Cuba at <heralatin.t35.com>.
Maikel Arista-Salado (translated by Esteban Rivera),
3 June 2005
from <www.alpha66.org>
, located by Esteban Rivera
Anti-Cuban Guerrilla Movement "Alpha 66" official
flag at <www.alpha66.org>.
Esteban Rivera, 24 May 2001
Alpha 66 is a Cuban political group who did carry guerrilla
expeditions not againts Cuba but against the communist regime.
None of his members consider himself anti-Cuban, actually they
consider themselves very good Cubans by opposing a dictatoship.
Juan Martin, 1 April 2002
from <www.brigada2506.com>
, located by Esteban Rivera
Anti Castro group "2506 Brigade" flags at <www.brigada2506.com>
and <www.autentico.org>.
Esteban Rivera, 14 January 2002
I have some information on an opposition Cuban group settled
in the United States that calls itself "Comandos F-4".
The source is an article in Spanish on the "Miami
Times" that appeared in 2003 witha story on the group. On
the newspaper artcile as well as on the internet, the name of
Rodolfo Frometa appears as the frontman of this group.
Esteban Rivera, 7 April 2004
At Ebay there were few Cuban Communist flags:
1) at <cgi.ebay.com/item=1076138959>
:
This flag was adquired in
Cuba a while ago. It is made of fabric, the letters are sew to
the flag and the center figure of Lazaro Pe-a (he was minister of
CTC (the Cuban Workers Union) back in the 70's.He died long time
ago.The faces around his portrait are all painted on the fabric
(interesting effect) ) and it says in espanish "And the seed
sprouts" on the other
side the embroided flag of the CTC is beautifully embroided
and still very bright. The flag measures 48"x30" and
except for a yellowish tone in some parts due to age, it is in
very good condition.
2) at <cgi.ebay.comitem=1076121595>
:
This flag was adquired in
Cuba a while ago. It is made of fabric, the letters are sew to
the flag and the center figure of Fidel Castro and Camilo
Cienfuegos is beautifully embroided and still very bright. The
flag measures 48"x30" and has some dirt but no rips.
Both sides have the same design. The curious part of this flag is
the historical significance. In 1970, the cuban government took
most workers to the cane fields because they projected the
largest sugarcane harvest in history (10 million tons of sugar)
They only got to 8.5 millions and the economy went down the
toilet because the rest of the industries were niglected. Every
time they reached to a new million of tons they would make these
flags and distributed to the best sugarcane cutters (a BRIGADE).
Now, this flag was prepared to give to the first BRIGADE to get
to the 9th million. BRIGADA NONA-MILLONARIA. So this flag never
had the use it was intented and probably the reason it survived
until today. The XVI anniversary is based on the July 26 of 1956
attack to Cuartel Moncada and the beginning of the Revolution.
3) at <gi.ebay.com/item=1076135114>
:
This flag was adquired in
Cuba a while ago. It is made of fabric, the letters are sew to
the flag and the center figure of Lazaro Pe-a (he was minister of
CTC (the Cuban Workers Union) back in the 70's. He died long time
ago) is beautifully embroided and still very bright. The flag
measures 48"x30" and except for a yellowish tone in
some parts due to age, it is in very good condition.
Rob Raeside, 21 Febuary 2002
Not sure if it was official but I have seen a pictures of
Cuban revolutionaries that used as a upper shoulder badge a flag
divided horizontaly red over black with a yellow star in the
middle.
Marc