THE 25 APRIL coup which swept away the fascist regime created big daches for the capitalists. They ad backed the move, afraid that the & regime was leading them up a ad alley of expensive wars in the La and growing workers' strugTheir amhition was to have a nice, rong comervative Government at ne which would have the necessary mapping of bourgeois democracy to tep the workers movement happy ind allow Portugal's full-scale integration into the Common Market, but ch would in reality rest on the SPINOLA What better candidate to head up ach a regime than General Spinola, a man whose suitability for the joh was proved by the fact that in onc bectie career, he had served with Franco's army in Spain, Hitler's army in Russia, and masterminded the use of Vietnam-style tacties in the African colony of Guine-Bissau.
But things went wrong with this citber military representatives or the outright flunkies of big busi neas. They received two miserable posts in this Government (later reduced to one), and in exchange for this did everything in their power to call off the mass struggle. They opposed strikes and demonstrations, and backed every move made by Spinola and the Government, no matler how reactionary.
A press law was adopted which provided for heavy fines or outright banning of newspapers which stepped on the Government's toes. Among the 'offences" laid down in this law was.'Insulting the Head of State (Spinola).
The Government enacted a minimum wage law giving only 3300 escudos (C13 a week), and allowed big. increases in prices. A trade union law was adopted which made occupations illegal, and placed so many restrictions on the 'right to strike that it became a sick joke. after April 25 with the liberation movements in the colonies. Individual black militants black militants used as living quarters and political centres.
SHOOTING
press solidarity with the colonial free dom struggle, the Government replied by bauning it and sending in the army infested with right-wing sympathisers) opened fire on the crowd, killing one militant and wounding three.
killed by the police was an army offcer and member of the Communist Party-controlled Portuguese Democratic Movement, the CP did nothing to organise any mass protest against this outrage.
wing activity-both public and secret multiplied tremendously. the Government nor the Communist militant workers who understood the mass action to smash it had to fight the CP every step of the way.
daily newspaper, Jordul de Comercio, launched a strike and occupation demanding the firing of their right-wing ing out of fascist elements was a secondary question', they said.
kers decided to stape a 24 hour sympAll of these moves were backed com. athy strike after the Jornal workers were evicted from their plant by the army, the CP opposed it. They said put their own twopence worth in by or that the Portuguese press wis now "free and open', and that the striker were beaten up in the streets, and armed fascist bands attacked houses which When a mass rally was organised to protest against these attacks, und to exand police to break it up. In the course of this operation the riot police (heavily Despite the fact that the militant In the month that followed rightBut neither Party did anything to resist it. In fact, danger from the right and the need for When the workers on the big Lisbon monopoly capitalism.
manager, Carlos Machado (now under arrest because of his activities), the CP told them they were wrong. The cleanWhen the country's newspaper worissues for 70p.
London, NW3. would be violating the right of the people to information'. They encouraged workers on the Lisbon daily O Seculo to scab on the strike Only the decision of the O Seculo workers to stop production prevented a bloody clash between militant mass pickets and army units sent to ensure that the paper was produced.
When thousands of militant wor kers from the giant Lisnave shipyards stopped work and staged a demonstration demanding tougher measures ap ainst the right-wing the Communist Party denounced them for hostility towards the Government and disres pect for democratie order"
TREACHEROUS COURSE Throughout all this time, then, the Government and the Communist Party did everything in their power to sabotage the growing anti-fascist mov ement. But thousands of militants refused to follow the CP's treacherous course, and agreed with the words of the Lisnave workers, who said:
"Our struggle for the purging of reactionaries is not a secondaty struggle. It is a struggle of first-rate importance, becuuse it unites us in a permanent and militant struggle against all the manoeurres and manifestations of fascism, which are constantly being to-born from the rotting corpse of a monthly information bulletin published by the Portuguese Workers" Coordinating Committee. No. 2 due out soon. Ten From: PWCC, 18 Fleet Road, Demonstration in support or the now fre fostering the same illusions in him as the a 'negative roles LAST WEEK PORTUGAL'S big victory over the country day, without pay.
But even this blatant atte anti-fascist movement of Por of Portugal's ruling class defeat they have suffered, or ists can now count to preser
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Our Common Struggle