Fidel Castro 1926-2016: A divided legacy

As Cuba began a nine-day period of national mourning for former leader Fidel Castro, who died on Saturday, "battalions of his critics and admirers began a fight over his legacy" and "reignited global divisions over the communist ideology he espoused", says The Times.

US president-elect Donald Trump denounced the revolutionary as "a brutal dictator who oppressed his own people for nearly six decades". Castro had overseen a regime built on "firing squads, theft, unimaginable suffering, poverty and the denial of fundamental human rights", he added.

However, Castro remained a hero to many on the left. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn hailed him as "a massive figure in the history of the whole planet", while Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission President, said he was "a hero for many".

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Cuba's Cold War allies also lined up to praise him, with Russian President Vladimir Putin saying Castro was a "distinguished statesman [who] was a sincere and reliable friend of Russia". Xi Jinping, the Chinese communist leader, praised a "good and true comrade", who will "live forever".

In stark contrast to the majority of western leaders, who dished out "lukewarm tributes" or "skirted around the subject of his legacy", Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was "pointedly warm", says The Independent.

Trudeau, whose father Pierre was a personal friend of Castro and the first leader of a Nato member state to visit communist Cuba in 1976, hailed him as a "remarkable leader" and a "legendary revolutionary and orator".

He added: "While a controversial figure, both Mr Castro's supporters and detractors recognised his tremendous dedication and love for the Cuban people, who had a deep and lasting affection for El Comandante."

Trudeau's comments sparked outrage in the US from politicians and the country's influential Cuban population.

Florida senator Marco Rubio, who is of Cuban descent, questioned whether the Canadian leader's words were a true statement, saying they were "shameful and embarrassing" if they were, while senator Ted Cruz of Texas, another Cuban-American, said the comments were "disgraceful" and accused Trudeau of "slobbering adulation".