Marc Frank and Brian Ellsworth

MIAMI/HAVANA, (Reuters) – Cuban Americans in Miami organized rallies and offered prayers Sunday for dissidents living on Communist-run Caribbean islands. They plan to organize protests next week demanding greater political freedoms as well as the release of prisoners.

After the massive protests of July that erupted across Cuba, dissidents have been working for weeks to prepare a “Civic March for Change”. This is the first nationwide demonstration since Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution. Rights group say that more than 1,000 protestors were taken into custody after the demonstrations, while hundreds are still in prison.

President Miguel Diaz Canel’s government has banned Monday’s marches in Havana and planned protests for other Cuban towns. They claim they are part of an American destabilization campaign. The United States still maintains a Cold War-era embargo against Cuba. The allegations have been denied by U.S. officials.

To show their support for Cuban dissidents, demonstrators wore white in an eastern Miami park. Later in the afternoon, a prayer was offered at Miami’s Our Lady of Charity National Shrine.

“Today’s activity is more than anything else moral support for our people … to show them that they are not alone,” said Niurka Prestamo, a 45-year-old realtor who attended the demonstration.

To emphasize the non-violent nature his movement, Yunior Garcia was also at the Miami rally.

Garcia stated that he was leaving his house at noon. It was almost two hours later that Garcia appeared to be still in his home.

His house was surrounded by government sympathizers in the early afternoon. They had draped Cuban flags around the structure, blocking Garcia’s street view.

Antony Blinken (US Secretary of State) condemned Sunday’s “intimidation techniques” used by Cuban officials ahead of Monday’s planned march through Cuba. The US will continue to pursue “accountability” for this crackdown, he said.

Garcia leads Archipielago’s Facebook (NASDAQ) group Archipielago at Monday’s planned demonstrations. This coincides with Cuba opening its borders to tourists following restrictive measures imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Archipielago claims it counts 31,500 members. More than half are in Cuba. In September, the group sought permission to march. This was denied quickly.

Miami boasts the United States’ largest Cuban American community. This population grew significantly in the years following the 1959 revolution.

According to Archipielago, 25% of Archipielago members are located in America, with 1,200 living in Miami.

The Havana city was the center of anti-Castro conspiracy efforts in Cold War. Its Cuban-American residents were staunch opponents to the Havana government. However, some younger generations have tried to establish connections with the island in recent years.

We are there to shout freedom. Serafin Moran, a Miami protestor and journalist, stated that the group wanted to let people know they weren’t alone. “Today, we send a greeting and a message of support to Cubans.

Other cities held small rallies to support the Cuban dissidents on Sunday from Canada and Spain.