“Fight against populism” and “importance of freedom” highlighted on April 25th in Marco de Canaveses

The Municipal Council of Marco de Canaveses celebrated this Thursday the 50th anniversary of the 25th of April, in a ceremony that took place in the refurbished Salão Nobre and which was attended by all parties with seats in the Municipal Assembly.

The celebrations began with the raising of flags, followed by a musical moment, led by the Vila Boa de Quires Music Band, who performed the National Anthem.

Opening the institutional speeches, Sandra Teixeira, representative of the CDS-PP municipal group, argued that the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 25th of April is a timethe “of reflection, hope and time to think about the future and the 50 years that lie ahead. There was a longing, and longing, for better democracy”, highlighting that “democratic plurality respects the voice of a people”.

With a speech focused on the importance of combating populism, he highlighted that “only in freedom does Democracy exist, with the possibility of the people choosing the 25th of April they want, never in Dictatorship. The 25th of April is alive, because it was born to create ambition, dissatisfaction and not accommodation”.

Representing the PPD/PSD municipal group, Anita Cunha began her speech by invoking Salgueiro Maia, one of the Captains of April. “We owe the 25th of April and democracy to the captains of April, and to the Portuguese people. I speak as an heir to the revolution, the 25th of April allows me to have a voice, despite being a woman, it allows me to dare”.

However, he argued that it is necessary “reflect seriously on the mistakes made since then. We’ve improved a lot, but we could be much better. Defending the spirit of April means promoting sustainable development and territorial cohesion, reforming justice and combating corruption.”also highlighting that the “the future of democracy, which is never guaranteed, will always depend on future generations”it ended.

“Friends, companions and comrades”, was the way in which Leonardo João Machado, representative of the PS municipal group, began his speech, invoking the military of April and remembering those who were in the revolution, without forgetting the sacrifices and difficulties that the Portuguese people went through before the 25th of April. “There is still a lot to improve, in all parameters, in all the doors that April opened. But, 50 years later, we proudly say that we are a pluralistic democracy”.

With the aim of “fight populism”the socialist also spoke of “internet, a place where easy criticism prevails. A populist wave, spreading hate and turning people against each other. 50 years after April, populism is, perhaps, the greatest enemy to freedom”, leaving a message of “courage”with the aim of “taking steps forward”.

As a guest of the Municipal Council of Marco de Canaveses for the invocative session of the 50th anniversary of the 25th of April, Tatiana Steponuyc was present, a Ukrainian immigrant who has lived in Portugal for 22 years and who spoke about the importance of freedom. “I met friendly people here, it is a wonderful and welcoming country, which lives in freedom”he pointed out, without forgetting the war in Ukraine with Russia.

Isabel Pinto experienced the 25th of April revolution firsthand and was also one of the guests present. Remembered “the hard times” that they lived and defended that freedom is “the foundation for everything. Remembering is important, at the time, we had a sword of censorship over us. Even thinking about it, we were afraid of being heard. There is no freedom without respect for others. The 25th of April imposes on us the duty of not letting the Dictatorship and the terrible years we lived through, with the longest Dictatorship in Europe, fall into oblivion.”.

However, the lawyer considers that “the 25th of April did not solve all the problems, there is a lot to work on”, focusing on equality and the importance of Human Rights. To young people, born after the 25th of April, the Marcoense appeals “to their participation, to their non-submission to the spirit of rebellion, to combat the new problems that arise, that fulfill this struggle, in the continuity of the dream of the 25th of April”.

This was followed by the president of the Municipal Assembly of Marco de Canaveses, Jorge Vieira, who greeted everyone present and said that the “April 25th was a historic milestone, which has been happening for 50 years”remembering that, before the revolution, political positions were only occupied by people from the regime. “The feeling of power, 50 years later, has nothing to do with the feeling of power more than 50 years ago”.

For the president “We need to keep the flame of freedom alive, let people speak, respect them, but challenge them. This is fundamental in any autarchic regime”.

The last speech was given by the president of Marco de Canaveses City Council, Cristina Vieira, who began her speech by highlighting the presence of the two guests. Regarding the commemorative date, the mayor recalled that it is the “founding date of our democracy, 50 years, built under the ideal of a fairer, more egalitarian and prosperous country, in the perfectly opposite direction to the Estado Novo regime. By celebrating the 25th of April, we also celebrate the end of an oppressive dictatorship, which denied the people and the individual the role of citizen, the exercise of the rights and duties of each person towards themselves and towards society as a whole”.

Also speaking about the Overseas War, the mayor saluted the soldiers who “they had the courage to overthrow the Estado Novo, the dictatorship that lasted 48 years”also remembering “the work of resistance, of political struggle against the regime by so many who, in hiding, laid the foundations for changing the regime”saluting “as many as those in Marco participated in this fight, and also remember and pay public tribute to Mário Soares, who this year also celebrates the centenary of his birth. Your fight for Freedom was ours.”.

According to Cristina Vieira, on April 25th “the foundations of a better Portugal were laid, of shared individual responsibilities, in which we all decide, a country that continues to be built and improved, which at every moment experiences the dynamics and challenges of Europe and the world. In the country, as in our Marco de Canaveses, we continue to build the future. In our municipality, I assure you, we continue to work to guarantee better living conditions for the population, for each one of us to fully exercise our freedom and the instruments of democracy”, remembering, with a quote from Sérgio Godinho, that “there is only real freedom when there is peace, bread, housing, health, education”with the executive “assumed this premise in his daily work”.

The mayor also spoke about the works carried out, in the most varied areas, since 2017 in Marco de Canaveses. “We feel that we are fulfilling April. We feel that with our commitment and determination, a new cycle has begun in Marco de Canaveses… with practical impacts on people’s lives and the way of doing politics in the municipality”he stressed.

After the end of the solemn session, there was time for another musical moment, led by the Vila Boa de Quires Music Band.