Celebrating April 25th is synonymous with freedom, fraternity and respect

To the freedom of April 25, 1974, the values ​​of equality and fraternity must be added. The position was taken by Francisco Pinto, a former emigrant in France, and one of the participants in the Coversas de Momento on the 25th of April, organized by the Ruílhe Parish Council. The event marked 50 years of April 25th.
Francisco Pinto recalled the way of life of the people of Ruílhe before the revolution. “I think we lack, on the 25th of April, to add equality to fraternity. The 25th of April left us with the hope that we are moving towards freedom, equality and fraternity. No one can deny that the Carnation revolution was very important for everyone, but we have to continue fighting so that everyone is equal before the law and so that the values ​​of freedom, equality and fraternity apply to everyone”, said Francisco Pinto .
The other participant at the meeting, Luís Filipe Macedo, addressed the effects of April 25, 1974 on today’s society.

“The 25th of April was our opportunity to be whole in what we do. No matter how much freedom we have, if we don’t know our history, we are nobody. Despite 50 years since the 25th of April, we are still learning to walk in democracy”, said Luís Filipe Macedo.
The Ruílhe resident expressed concern about the fact that Portuguese politics is “reduced to specialists and technocrats. Experts are not elected, but politicians are. Freedom is being surreptitiously taken away from us.”
In attendance, among several dozen people, was Adolfo Pinto, elected as secretary of the Ruílhe Parish Council in the first free elections, in 1976, and later elected president of that body between 1982 and 1985.

Adolfo Pinto would also like to see more equality in Portuguese society. “Freedom requires conscience. We need more equality between everyone”, indicated Adolfo Pinto.
During the session, a statement from the population was shown, contained in the May 6, 1974 edition of the Correio do Minho newspaper, demanding the resignation of the president of the Ruílhe Parish Council at the time, Father David de Oliveira Martins. The session was preceded by a performance by the Ruílhe Children’s Choir, which sang the National Anthem (‘A Portuguesa’) and ‘Grandola Vila Morena’, by José Afonso. The National Flag was raised at the Parish Council headquarters to the sound of the National Anthem.

Young people need to be alerted to the dangers of dictatorship

Today’s youth need to be alerted and enlightened about the dangers of returning to a new dictatorship. The alert was launched yesterday by the president of the Ruílhe Parish Council, Fernando Vilaça, during the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution.
The mayor pointed out that “the people, especially young people, still have no idea what the dictatorship that many of their parents lived through was like. There are many things currently that can put democracy at risk.”
Fernando Vilaça highlighted that one of the main missions of the Ruílhe Parish Council has been to encourage people to fight for freedom.
“The junta has demonstrated that it is important to have freedom for everyone. Freedom of expression and freedom of choice”, indicated the mayor of Ruílhe.

Fernando Vilaça advised young people in the parish to consult their elders to find out what it was like to live under a dictatorship and what it cost to have the freedom we enjoy today.
“I would like to tell young people to think about conscience and to talk to older people to get an idea of ​​what fascism was. Nowadays young people have everything and I see a very dark future on the horizon”, said Fernando Vilaça.
The celebration of the 50th anniversary of the revolution of April 25, 1974 continued during the afternoon with the action of the group ‘Rumos Novos’, in the Alfacoop car park.

“It takes people like this, who set up this band right after the 25th of April. It’s a band with songs about the 25th of April and Zeca Afonso. They are exceptional artists. The music of this band is to be praised”, added the president of the Ruílhe Parish Council.
After the show, around 50 kilos of steaks on bread were served to the population.
Fernando Vilaça was 14 years old when April 25th happened and he still remembers what happened that day.
“I was studying at Escola Secundária Alberto Sampaio and that day they all sent us home. At the time I lived in Aveleda and we all came to the train and we were all happy because what we wanted was not to have classes. It was only the next day that I realized what had happened”, recalled Fernando Vilaça.