Vermont senator and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders reiterated this Monday his partial defense of the Cuban revolution and Fidel Castro: “The truth is the truth,” he said.
At a political rally in South Carolina, Sanders reiterated the praise of Cuba’s “literacy program” at the beginning of the Revolution.
“When Castro came into office… you know what he did? He had a literacy program. At that time, many people in Cuba were illiterate and he formed the Literacy Brigade…and they left and helped people learn to read and write. You know what? I think teaching people to read and write is a good thing,” said Sanders.
He added: “I’ve been extremely consistent and critical with all authoritarian regimes around the world, including Cuba, including Nicaragua, Saudi Arabia, China and Russia. I believe in democracy, not authoritarianism.”
The controversy arose from statements made by Sanders during an interview on the CBS “60 Minutes” program that was broadcast on Sunday night.
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On that occasion the Democrat praised a “literacy program” that the Cuban government launched in its early years and said that “it’s unfair to say everything’s bad” in Cuba.
The Democratic presidential candidate also rejected the criticism he received from congressmen from both parties, fundamentally linked to the Florida or Cuban origin policy.
“The truth is the truth, and that is what happened in the early years of Castro’s regime.”
Sanders describes himself as a democratic socialist. Last weekend he consolidated his position as a favorite to compete for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Bernie Sanders: “Es injusto decir simplemente que todo está mal” en Cuba
