HAVANA – In a powerful show of solidarity, tens of thousands of Cubans gathered on Friday at the “Anti-Imperialist Tribune,” a significant open-air venue across from the U.S. Embassy in Havana. The demonstrators united to protest the deaths of 32 Cuban officers in Venezuela and demanded the release of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by the U.S. government.

Waving Cuban and Venezuelan flags, the crowd participated in a government-organized rally. This demonstration comes amid escalating tensions between Cuba and the United States following a U.S. operation in Caracas on January 3, which led to Maduro’s arrest.

“The entire Nation rises up!” declared Cuba’s Foreign Ministry on X. “It is a resounding response to those who dare to threaten the peace and sovereignty for which we have fought so hard.”

The 32 Cuban officers who perished were part of Maduro’s security team and lost their lives during the January 3 raid aimed at capturing the former leader, who was then extradited to the U.S. on drug trafficking charges.

The sound of Cuba’s national anthem filled the air during the protest, with large Cuban flags fluttering in the chilly breeze and waves crashing along Havana’s iconic pier. President Miguel Díaz-Canel was present, warmly greeting the crowd, many of whom were bundled up against the cold.

The demonstration was a show of popular strength after U.S. President Donald Trump recently demanded that Cuba make a deal with him before it is “too late.” He did not explain what kind of deal.

Trump also has said that Cuba will no longer live off Venezuela’s oil and money. Experts say the move could have catastrophic consequences since Cuba is already struggling with severe blackouts.

Friday’s demonstration was expected to become a parade that Cubans call a “combatant march,” a custom that originated during the time of the late leader Fidel Castro.

Washington has maintained a policy of sanctions against Cuba since the 1960s, but during Trump’s presidency, the sanctions were further tightened, suffocating the island’s economy, an objective explicitly acknowledged by the White House.

On Thursday, tens of thousands of Cubans gathered at the headquarters of the Ministry of the Armed Forces to pay their respects to the 32 officers killed.

Their remains arrived home on Thursday morning, and they are scheduled to be laid to rest on Friday afternoon in various cemeteries following memorial ceremonies in all of Cuba’s provincial capitals.