“TODAY is a sad day, but at the same time not a sad day as Fidel’s legacy and spirit lives on,” Bolivia’s ambassador to Britain Roberto Calzadilla told the Adelante conference on Saturday.

While we mourn the loss of one of the 20th century’s greatest revolutionaries, it is important to keep close to heart the incredible achievements of Fidel Castro, the revolution that he led and the bright light that is Cuba today.

Because the enemies of Cuba and its socialist system have wasted no time in going on the offensive, denigrating the man and the revolution.

On the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show yesterday, viewers were treated to the shameful sight of Marr comparing Fidel to US-installed Chilean murderer Augusto Pinochet, a favourite too of the British Establishment. Was not Fidel just the left’s Pinochet, he argued?

That the two could even be mentioned in the same breath is gobsmacking. Fidel led his people to freedom from imperialist domination and transformed the impoverished and brutalised island into one that has astonished experts with its success, especially in healthcare and education.

It was left to Marr’s token leftwinger Paul Mason to point out that Pinochet had women raped by dogs as part of a nationwide system of murder and torture. Those who survived at home were forced into poverty while abroad he instituted a campaign of international terrorism with the support of the US.

Unsurprisingly support for international terrorists also features in capitalist media coverage of Fidel’s death, noting the celebrations by Cuban-Americans.

Unmentioned is the campaign of terror waged by those of the privileged class who fled rather than be stripped of their domination over their fellow Cubans.

Missing too is the fact that when Cuba sent anti-terrorist agents to Florida to compile evidence, the Miami Five — not the terrorists they uncovered — were jailed by the US authorities to whom they submitted their findings.

The purpose, in contrast to Establishment claims, is not to have a serious debate about Cuba but to undermine it. The flurry of frequently fabricated and often grossly hypocritical attacks is meant to shape the argument over the island and its revolution.

Their goal is to silence support for Cuba where possible and to force its supporters into a position where they feel they have no choice but to preface every remark with: “Yes, but…”

As socialists we must reject this entirely and take charge. Cuba’s enemies will try to use Fidel’s death to further their own aims of dismantling socialism and wrecking the achievements of the revolution.

Instead we must stand with Cubans as friends and comrades, at every turn doing what we can to strengthen the revolution and celebrate the tremendous progress made.

And what progress! Despite being robbed of about $1 trillion since 1960 under the illegal US blockade, Cuba has built world-class health and education systems.

Cuban doctors and nurses can be found in the poorest parts of our planet. Hundreds of Cuban medics were among the first on the ground fighting the recent Ebola outbreak in west Africa. Tens of thousands of medics from the Americas — including the US — Africa and Asia have been trained for free at a special school on the island.

Perhaps the most stunning victory of Cuba’s internationalism was the role of tens of thousands of Cuban volunteers in freeing southern Africa from colonial and racist oppression, driving apartheid forces out of Angola. Not for nothing did Nelson Mandela say: “The Cuban internationalists have made a contribution to African independence, freedom and justice unparalleled for its principled and selfless character.”

This is Fidel’s legacy and the continuing mission of the people of Cuba. It is vital that we stand with them against all who would destroy what they have built.