The Con Filo presenter’s visit to Spanish cities has sparked criticism, ridicule, and a necessary consensus among Cuban exiles.
14ymedio, Yunior García Aguilera, Madrid, 10 May 2025 — Since Gabriela Fernández Álvarez—a propagandist for the Cuban regime—began her tour of 12 Spanish cities, her rejection by her exiled compatriots has been clear. But the mediocrity of the official discourse, the inconsistencies of its spokesperson, her lies about the country’s reality, as well as the precariousness of her communication skills, have also been clear.
The organizers and funders of the trip—the State Movement of Solidarity with Cuba—have opted to prohibit Cubans from attending the talks (except for Embassy staff). They are fully aware of the antipathy generated by the television program Con Filo, both on and off the island. This is the first indication of the anti-Cuban nature of these meetings, which demonstrate that the “solidarity” of those organizing them is not with the Cuban people, but exclusively with the ideology that holds power.
Multiple memes about Fernández’s gaffes are circulating on social media, where she says “venemos” instead of “venimos” and claims that Latin America is “one country.” It was already evident—thanks to the videos published by her team—that the presenter is incapable of delivering a complete sentence without having to cut herself short, due to diction errors and difficulty memorizing the script. It’s clear that she wasn’t selected for her talents as a broadcaster, but for her loyalty to a small group of disciples of Iroel Sánchez, the well-known official censor who died two years ago.
Con Filo did not emerge spontaneously from those young people, its true creator was Iroel Sánchez
The idea for the program didn’t even come spontaneously from those young people. Its true creator was Sánchez, described by his own compañeros as an “extremist” and leader of the faction known as “the Taliban.”
Even singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez, during a meeting we held at the Ojalá studios after the 11 July 2021 protests—recorded at his request—acknowledged that Sánchez was “part of a sect that shut everything out.”
The troubadour recounted: “When Guillermo Rodríguez Rivera made a proposal for consumer rights on my blog, Díaz-Canel—who wasn’t president at the time or anything like that—summoned Guillermo, [Víctor] Casaus, Vicente [Feliú], and me to the Palace. And the person they put in front of me was Iroel. The moment I saw that, I said: ’this is bad.’ And indeed… Two or three meetings were held, and nothing moved forward, because it was all about: ’the blockade,’ ’the enemy’… and all that nonsense.”
The 2009 anecdote about the confrontation between Sánchez and the then Minister of Culture, Abel Prieto, is famous. Witnesses say Iroel banged his desk several times, received a public reprimand, and produced a pamphlet accusing Prieto of being “lacking in ideology.” He was dismissed from the Cuban Book Institute, although he was later protected by Ramiro Valdés, which allowed him to return to the circles of power.
The propagandist has also tried to downplay what happened on 11 July 2021.
In her second talk in Spain, the young “iroelista” attempted to distort the meaning of the artists’ protest in front of the Ministry of Culture on 27 November 2020. She forgets that, beyond our naiveté, that was an action in solidarity with the San Isidro Movement and in open opposition to official policy. Only the coincidence of the date with the execution of the eight medical students in 1871 prevented us from being beaten by the rapid response brigades already deployed in the surrounding area. Despite this, there was no shortage of pepper spray, threats, and subsequent interrogations.
In her catalog of complaints, Fernández also criticizes the international press for ignoring the counter-demonstration organized by student groups subordinate to the Union of Young Communists, two days after November 27th. Known as “the Trillo Park brawl,” that supposedly spontaneous platform was provided with logistical resources, transportation, audio equipment, and a “surprise visit” from President Miguel Díaz-Canel, which refutes any narrative of spontaneity.
The propagandist has also attempted to downplay the events of 11 July 2021, questioning why the largest social uprising in more than six decades has had more visibility than the May Day parade. As a history graduate, she should understand that the events of totalitarian regimes will never have the historical weight of a genuine rebellion. Going out to protest—risking your freedom and your life—against a repressive government will always be more memorable than attending a mandatory march where your workplace or school takes roll call.
The spokesperson’s tour continues. The money invested could easily have been used to send food or medicine to Cuba, but those nostalgic for totalitarianism prefer to fund propaganda. At each talk, she will find an audience willing to excuse her mistakes, in the name of Castro or Stalin, but she will also encounter an emigrant community that, in a free country, enjoys the right to dissent and protest.
If this worn-out initiative has achieved anything positive, it has been to unite diverse sectors of the Cuban exile community who, without renouncing their differences, have managed to aim their arrows in the same direction.
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