Cuban president says anti-imperialist forces stronger than "empire"

HAVANA, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Anti-imperialist forces are far stronger than the empire itself, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on social media Wednesday, in a direct jab at the United States.

May 20 is Cuba's Independence Day, a day Diaz-Canel said represents "intervention, interference, dispossession and frustration" in Cuban history. He said the day planted anti-imperialist sentiment among Cubans.

As the country's independence and sovereignty have faced constant threats, that sentiment has grown stronger with each generation, he said.

"Never forget that, thanks to the empire itself, we anti-imperialists are far more numerous," he said on X.

The United States has recently tightened sanctions against Cuba and repeatedly threatened military action, including saying it could "take control of Cuba" after U.S. military operations against Iran.

Cuba has said U.S. military threats have reached a "dangerous and unprecedented" level, while pledging to defend its sovereignty and independence.

On May 20, 1902, Cuba gained formal independence, but the United States forced Cuba to add the Platt Amendment to its Constitution, granting Washington the right to intervene in Cuba's internal affairs. In 1934, the amendment was abolished. Enditem