LETTERS Red Weekly welcomes letters from our readers, but contributions longer than 400 words may be cut at the Editor's discretion.
The editorial made the position of the PCP quite clear: "It is not In your haste to slander the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) you re sort to outright faisification of its positions during the fight against the "silent majority" demonstration of the reactionaries.
You sugaest that the PCP relied entirely on applying pressure within the Government and made no attempt to mobilize the mass of Portug uese workers and democrats against the reactionarios' manoeuvres.
But if you bother to look at the 27 September issue of Avante! [the paper of the PCP] you would see an editorial and the entire back page (which included a statement from the Political Committee of the PCP) devoted to the need to organise aguinst the demonstration.
said: In the present situation the ers it vital to intensify the vigilance and prompt action of the working masses and of all concerned demosiders vital unity and understanding between all democratic parties and organisations in the drawing up and organisation of common actions in the struggle against the manoeuvres and conspiracies of reaction and fascism."
cent crisis were entirely within its heroie, 40-year tradition as the vanguard of the anti-fascist struggle.
Your petty slanders can do nothing to alter that fact.
A. da Sousa non cooperation win tre conne No proposals for the sort of positive mass action that finally smashed the reaction aries wine put forward.
There is not a word of criticism in Avannel of General Spinola, despite the fact that his involvement in the reactionary conspiracy was then quite clear. For the PCP was primarily concerned with its still centred on pressuring Spinoia.
preceding the 27 September showdown the PCP argued that the strugule against the reactionaries was "secondary' and actually scabbed on the struggles launched by militant workers who disagreed.
The real credit for propering the Portu guese workers' movement to fight the fas cist threat lies with these militants, not the PCP.
These are not "petty matters. Nor are they. 'slanders". truths. And thay do not add up to an "heroic tradition'. Portuguese Communist Party considcrats and anti-fascists.. The PCP con The actions of the PCP in the remanoeuvres inside the Government, which The fact remains that in the month They are basic home Alvaro Contal, loader of the Partuquese Communist Party, gave a press confer ance in Lisbon last week, in the wake of the big victory won by the working class against the Portuguese night wingers.
He said: The only arms which exist in Portugal to defend democracy are in the hands of the Armed Forces Movement. These arms exist, and it is neces sary that they exist.* no arms whatsoever."
Meanwhile, the army has announced that the firearis seized at the roadblocks set up by the workers and the military on the Lisbon outskirts are be ing returned to their owners! He boasted, The Communist Party is disarmed, We have Secondly, the fight cannot and will