Cuba gifts AKM rifle to troubadour Silvio Rodríguez after he vows to fight for island

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HAVANA (AP) — Cuba’s Revolutionary Armed Forces gifted troubadour Silvio Rodríguez a combat AKM rifle and a replica of one after he recently said he would take up arms for the island, according to a video that the president’s office posted on X Friday.

The singer is seen walking alongside Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and other officials clad in military garb who later stand at attention as Rodríguez receives the rifles and inspects them.

On March 18, Rodríguez, who is one of Latin America’s most famous musicians, wrote: “I demand my AKM, if they launch an attack. And I mean it,” in the comments section of his blog, presumably referring to the U.S.

In late February, Trump raised the possibility of a “friendly takeover of Cuba.” Then earlier this week, he said he expected to have the “honor” of “taking Cuba in some form,” adding: “I can do anything I want.”

Tensions between the U.S. and Cuba remain high despite Díaz-Canel confirming a week ago that Cuba has held talks with the U.S. government.

Cuban officials noted that the ceremony occurred in the context of the island’s National Defense Day and in response to Rodríguez’s “noble and revolutionary demand.”

Rodríguez is considered the poetic voice of the Cuban Revolution and an inspiration for millions of people who lived under dictatorships in Latin America in the 1960s and 1970s.

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