ANDRIA HALL, CNN ANCHOR: In Cuba, Elian's return can't come soon enough. Massive rallies like this one Saturday have become somewhat of a ritual. CNN's John Zarrella reports.</s>JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the city of Ogene (ph) in eastern Cuba, a crowd estimated at 400,000 gathered to show support for Elian Gonzalez and to bash U.S. policies toward Cuba. For two and half hours, they waved Cuban flags, listened to speeches and sang songs. The massive rallies are staged every week in different cities on the communist island, while Elian is the theme of these "open tribunals," as they're called, most of the speeches attack U.S. policy toward Cuba, and it's not just adult delivering the message.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Down with the Cuban Adjustment Act. Down with the arrogance. Free Elian. We should repeat once and a thousand more times our motto: Pioneers for Communism. We will be like Che.</s>ZARRELLA: Lately, the Cuban government has used the Elian Gonzalez saga as platform to hammer home its disdain of the embargo, and in particular, the Cuban Adjustment Act. The allows virtually any Cuban who makes it to the U.S. to stay. The Castro government charges the act is like a carrot that entices Cubans to risk their lives to reach the U.S. Case in point, shipwreck survive Elian Gonzalez. The Cuban government insist it will continue these rallies, even after Elian returns, in order to press it case of U.S. oppression. But once the boy is back, it may be hard to find anybody listening who doesn't live on the island. John Zarrella, CNN, Havana.
Massive Rallies in Cuba Have Become Somewhat of a Ritual