Since the military coup which brought down the fascist regime the Portuguese working class has taken gigantic strides. Despite the determined opposition of the capitalists -who have resorted to every method from economic sabotage to a military coup - the Portuguese workers have forced the nationalisation of the banks and key sections of industry. In many cases they have established workers control to fight for these industries to be run as part of an economy which serves the working class', and have created the greatest democratic rights for soldiers in any capitalist country.
RUTHLESS Now the Portuguese working class finds itself faced by two new dangers. Ruthless capitalist sabotage of the economy and control of production for profit has led to inflation in May reaching a level equivalent to an annual rate of 90 per cent. Unemployment is at over 300,000 in a country far smaller than Britain. Behind this economic threat the forces of capitalist reaction are beginning once again to come out from under their stones. In the town of Santa Marta in WEEKLY Campaign for solidarity with the Portuguese working class!
PUBLIC MEETING: 'Portugal; the struggle in Republica'. SPEAKER: A delegate from the Republica works committee speaks on press freedom in Portugal.
PLACE: St. Bride's Institute, Bride Lane (off Fleet st.) EC1 TIME: Tuesday 8th July, 7.00pm Organised by the Portuguese Workers Co-ordinating Committee the north of the country, rightists broke up. a meeting held as part of a campaign by the Armed Forces Movement. At Viseu an office supporting the MPLA, the Angolan liberation organisation, was attacked by fascists. Braganca an office of the Portuguese Democratic Movement was bombed.
SABOTAGE
The fascists and rightists are also given powerful support and 'respectability' by the increasing intervention of the imperialist powers of the EEC, of NATO, and through the sabotage carried out by the multi-national capitalist firms.
As yet the fascist threat in Portugal is still small. However, the power of the working class is dangerously undermined by the policies of the reformist workers' parties. The Soares leadership of the Socialist Party functions as a clear agent of European and United States imperialism. through its reformist policies and bureaucratic manipulation of the Intersindical trade union federation, prevents the breaking of many Socialist Party workers from the Soares leadership.
Neither the Communist Party nor the Socialist Party calls for socialist revolution in Portugal. Neither will demand a government of workers organisations. Both refuse to withdraw Portugal from NATO. Both support the Armed Forces Movement's new ban on political activity in the army. Neither calls for the workers, soldiers and peasants councils which are necessary to take forward the revolution in Portugal.
Instead of moving towards socialist revolution the Communist Party and Socialist Party leaders demand the 'struggle for production - sacrifices by the workers in absurd attempts to prop up the crisis-ridden capitalist economy. But what is posed in Portugal today is not the struggle for production but the strug gle for power. The Communist Party and the the Socialist Party are pursuing in Portugal today the same disastrous policies carried out before the coup in Chile.
DISCREDITED
Today Portugal is still far from a Chilean disaster. The working class is too militant, the bourgeoisie too discredited, and the offic ers too divided for a right wing military coup. But the Portuguese ruling class and the international capitalists are stepping up their sab otage and threats.
But above all the imperialists on a world scale fear the joining of the struggle in Port ugal with the rising tide of revolution in Spain. Already the Franco dictatorship is in open decomposition. 100,000 workers in the Basque country struck on June 11th des pite the police terror.
The downfall of the dictatorship in Spain will see the beginnings of the most advanced revolutionary struggle in Europe since 1937 To break the struggle in Portugal before the workers there are joined in open revolutionary struggle by their Spanish comrades. This is the urgent task of reaction. The world working-class has as its number one international duty the task of defeating the imperial ist manoeuvres.
*Imperialist hands off Portugal!
* Smash the international capitalist sabotage!
* Solidarity with the Iberian revolution!