come about? a Sonne of the left officers were convinced that there was going to be a cons tutional couD rom Ine nant wing majority in the Revolutionary Council to re-establish control over military units on the one hand, and over the radio, television and newscapers on me omer Most probably they began discussions to try to tina ways or opposing this. But then the paras revolted.
It was a hurried response by people who replied in the only way that they knew — militarily. There is no doubt inat nese ornicers must be bonicay condemned. pecause altnouon one might say they were under extreme provocation, the response to the struggle in the paras was entirely wrong.
It should not have been a military response. It should have followed the example given over nadio menascenca where the struggle was conducted as a mass struggle.
The small group of Radio Renascenca workers refused to re-occupy the transmitters by themselves even when they had the possibility of doing so because the sociers nao aanconed the place. Instead they mobilised a mass or beople in support ana even tually re-occupied on that basis. And it was a lou per cent successtul strug gle - both because they got the transmitters back again and because eventually it did break the paras.
At the time the paratroopers were a right-wing unit; and it was the struggle at Radio Renascenca - because it was a mass struggle and not individual action - Enat created tne situation in side tne paras. A similar type or res ponse was needed to the right-wing manoeuvres, not an attempt at a military uprising as such.
What was the response of the left-wing political organisations a Well, on the first day as far as I know practically all parties or the lent, trom the Communist rarty lettwards, Issued calls for action around the paras' strugale. By the second day, I think that most of the left parties realised it was going to be a cereat and witnarew This was particularly true of the CP and the UDr; otners nad beer thrown into contusion. It's ditticult to pinpoint the exact situation - that reflects the shambles into which the rebellion was unrown The Revolutionary United 9 Front (FUR) now no longer exists?
It has been replaced by what I think a are called evolutionary committees of Anti-Fascist Unity. They are based on an anti-right wing policy As far as I understand, this position has been acreed to by the MES (Lett Socialist Movement), the PRP (Revolutionary rarty on tne rroielanat, and the FSP (Popular Socialist Front) - and though the sr nas still not tinally agreed. I don't know whetner inere nas been any response trom the orner Some comrades responded very well to our appeal for money to be rushed in to meet our extended November target:
- East Mediterranean comrades - Hackney IMG groups that were initially included in the FUR.
Had a split in the FUR been 9 developing previously?
The FUR was in fact officially suspenCIded two days before the paras' rebellion started. There was a serious split between the PRP and MES on the one side, and the LCI (Internationalist Communist League - Portuguese organisation of the Fourth International) on the other. But several other different splits were also involved. *Why would you say there was no reaction from the working class, despite the huge mobilisations of the working class just a few days beforehand?
Because there was no effective leader a ship to the working class. In the first place, it didn't immediately appear to the working class as an action in detence of the working class. It very quickly developed into having all the appearances от а инагу action Even if the working class had seen the initial paras' action as something they ought to mobilise support for they certainly wouldn't have seen the military shambles which tolowed d being sometning in tneir interests. Q So what's the situation now?
was a creat aovance for ine rent There was even talk in certain rigntwing quarters about keeping a state of emergency tor two or three montns The lifting of it, and the general pulling back, has been effectively due to the fears of the group led by Melo Antunes, the "Group of Nine, about the advance of the right wing. The vine nave been very actively Ly ing to hold the line and stop reports of communist rary implication in te * - Leeds IMG - West London IMG - Brighton IMG Scottish IMG - D. Oswald, Edinburgh £7.50 - Manchester IMG £100 And one comrade who didn't VOGNO Alvaro Miranda, a leading member of the Portuguese Workers Co-ordinating Committee, has just returned from Portugal. Red Weekly asked him about the recent events.
coup. In that they are opposed to the Socialist Party, which has continually insisted that the CP was responsible for the coup.
There is even talk that the Antunes group would be prepared to form a new government without the rightwing Popular Democrats (PPD). However, the Socialist Party is still absolutely adamant that it will not break with the PPD because the latter is the second largest party in Portugal. rather surprising reason. Perhaps Harold Wilson will say he will not break with the Tories because they are the second largest party in britain:
initiative at the political level has been started by a group or ex-mes techno crats and intellectuals. They have issued a platform that can clearly be seen as a platform of civilian support for the 'Nine'. This group is led by Cesar de Oliveira, and is quite clearly aiming at the left wing of the Socialist Party. The peculiar thing about this is that the Antunes group is rhetorically to the left of the Socialist Party but is still demanding a major role in politics for the military; while the Socialist Party leaders, with a right-wing line, are simultaneously demanding the devolution of power to the civilians. Enis, oT course, just adds to the confusion.
Tient for them to allow Republica to come out - it gives the impression of naving a democracy at work with a quite widespread spectrum of opinion represented. If they closed down Republica they would be open to the charge that they closed every newspaper except those close to the Socialist Party - like A Luta and Jornal Novo - and tnose even turtner rant right-wing papers are now coming out: there's one called Barricada which carried a large article supporting Franco £55 £19 target decided to sell his car and £15 gave us a post-dated cheque for £50 £500. £40 £70 we missed our November target of £4,000 by £127.95.
$15,000 to raise E5,127.95. Some IMG - have not yet sent any money is in the lead at the moment, although London is very close beis a really good effort by these comrades. class.
payable to The Week'.
Photo: ANGELA PHILLIPS (IFL)
That's a The other thing to note is that a new managements.
and television stations However, in a way it's quite convenI should mention that some really want to see us miss our November But even so, we only raised £856.50 last week - which means Our December target is £9,000 -which gives us barely three weeks areas - for example, the North East, Wales, East Anglia, and South West at all to the Fund Drive, so we shall be especially interested in these over the next few weeks. Scottish IMG hind. With unemployment higher in Scotland than in London, this We know Christmas is coming and there is great pressure by the capitalists for us to spend our mon ey buying expensive presents. Well, the best Christmas present you can give this year is to give money to. the IMG and its fight against the Wilson Government, which is spearheading the attacks on the working Rush your money to: Jo-Ann, 97 Caledonian Road, London N.1. Cheques/POs etc should be made in its first issue, as well as a statement by Colonel Jaime Neves of the commandos that the Portuguese problem can only be resolved 'by physical force'.
What's the present reaction in9 side the working class?
•There will undoubtedly be a period Cof a certain demoralisation, which will probably include a search for answers and responsibilities. I don't think that it has been in any sense a final blow. There are already indications that the working class in certain areas are prepared to continue fighting. Their organisations have not been physically destroyed, although their morale may have suffered quite a set-back.
Already struggles have begun in some of the newspapers against accepting new There is great competition between the "Nine' and the SP here, with leading members of the SP being publicly canvassed for positions inside the newspapers and inside the radio I think the TV will probably go without very much of a struggle. But in there are very radicalised - would be very surprised if something there doesn't blow up again. And in the newspaper Diario Popular I have already seen that the workers have taken a decision not to accept the sacking of the management.
As far as Republica is concerned, Republica was the first newspaper to come out when newspapers were allow ed to appear again. The workers at Republica are very confident that they will be able to put the paper back on its feet, although of course to a certain extent they may have to be a bit careful to begin with in case they get chopped But they have got a serious problem at the moment in that the military managing director, who was legally in charge of the paper, has resigned. This could give the Revolutionary Council and the Government a loophole by which they could do sometning against the paper on the basis that it is coming out without proper authority.
Has any balance sheet of the events yet been made by the organisations of the revolutionary a Not so far. When I left Portugal th leaders of the PRP and MES had only just come out from underground. The discussions are only beginning. I'm hoping that the lessons will include the clear realisation that activity inside the army - win army officers etc.can be very dangerous unless it includes and is based on mass action by the workine class I would say that probably no left organisation in Portugal can get away without some self-criticism over the recent events. he main lesson is unt inability and ineffectiveness of considering coups or even military insurrec tion as a way of solving the problems of the working class.
we nave received a reply wrom une editor of Socialist Worker to the 'Open Letter to the IS on Portugal' printed in last week's Red Weekly. Unfortunately it arrived too late for this week's deadline. We will be printing it next week together with a reply.
Red Weekly 11 December 1975 Angola 9
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