Havana, April 16 (RHC)-- Cuba has ratified the socialist character of the Revolution on the 59th anniversary of the proclamation of the humanist and inclusive ideology of the revolutionary process that triumphed on January 1, 1959.

The proclamation took place on April 16, 1961, during the funerals of the victims of the U.S. bombings against airports and airfields in Havana and Santiago de Cuba.

At the mass rally, Cuban leader Fidel Castro stated: "This is the socialist and democratic revolution of the humble, by the humble and for the humble.  And for this revolution of the humble, by the humble and for the humble, we are willing to give our lives."

On that day, the crowd gathered near the Colon Cemetery in Havana, making clear, with their guns raised, their decision to defend the country.   The date went down in national history as the Day of the Militia, as Cuba prepared to repel the U.S.-supported mercenary invasion at the Bay of Pigs.