velopinents exist in Portugal today. In all the most important factories the workforce is united and organised through democratic factory committces, based on democratic general assembles of the workers. Some moves have been made to coordinate these bodies on the rogional level: in Lisbon, for example, there is an "Inter-Factory Council that links up 43 factory committees in the region, and organised a massive demonstration of 80,000 in the city against unemployment (despite a Government ban and opposition fram the Communist Party and the trade union federation).
Similar democratic bodies exit in many working class neighbourods, and in a number of areas mass esemblies have taken place at the instigation of the Communist Party (often gathering more than 1500 people in towns with a population of less than 50,000) to discuss all the economic and social problems of the area, electing standing committees to carry on their work. While the Communist Party has seen these an little more than Study groups or advisory bodies*, they could become the hasis of real workers power in the localities.
In literally hundreds of factories across the country the factory committees have imposed forms of workers control, acting promptly to prevent any undermining of their interests and watching the basses like hawks to make sure they don't get away forces in Portugal to roll back the victories rung up by the working class since 25 April began.
alion of paratroopers, supported by ant air force unit, wus to attack the headquarten of one of the must important and left-wing army units -Light Artillery Regiment No. I (RAL I) stationed near the Lishon airport; this move was to be the counter-revologionary offonsive.
une control of the main anned police force, the Rupublican National Guard (GNKI. It was then expocted that other right-wing officer, encouraged by these carly advances would declare for the insurents and mobiliss the soldiers ment This would then be followed by a dedeat last September.
Planes and helicopters struck their appointed tarpots according to schedule at 11:45 am. The puratroopers then promp tly moved into the breach, while at the headquarton of the GNR right-wing offDoors assumed command and used the GNR radio to announce their tako-over was over, and its mastermind, Former ON THE MORNING OF 11 MARCH the latest attempt by the reactionary The plot was a simple one: a batt1855L5 spark that would set off a full scale Plans were laid for right-wingers to ass under their command against the Goscenmobilisation of civilian reactionaries, who their powder dry since their ignominious Everything went according to plan.
But six hours later thu whole revolt call off thuir attack. President Spinola, was feeing for the safety of fascist Spain with his fellow plotten. What west wrong!
The plotlors as capitalist plotters-are want to do left one thing out of thei calculations: the actions of tie Portuguese PEOPLE TO THE STREETS As sobe as the news of the attack on RAL I broke across the country, offices, shupyards, houses and schools wore empt jed as the people took to the stroets Sonic were responding to the call of the Coma unist Party controlled Portuguese Democ tatic Movement and the Intersindical tech union foderation, other acting spontancously on the hasis of the lessons they had learnod in September The paratroopers were just getting down to their armed asault on RAL 1 when they suddenly found themselves surrounded by a crowd who had come to the defence of the besieged soldiers These unarmed civilians harangued the insurgents, blocked their passage, and obstructed their attempts to shoot Repeated threats by the paratroopers fatled to deter the crowd.
After more than an hour of ths bussling the paratroopers became totally denoralsed end acred to talk bo representar ines of RAL 1. They explained that they the centre of a revolutionary plot to asuasinato 1000 military and 500 civilian leaden, but after much political discuss ion with both the RAL 1 spokesman and Meanwhile the reactionaries radio broadcast from GNR headquarters broughr a prompt roply —bet not the one they Bad surrounded by Lausands of demonstrators chanting anti fascist singuns. Soon the crowd because so cumicrous that the build ing was sealed as tight as a dramn. When GNR tech tried to delee the crowd back they weto grocted with chants of Shood If you dare, shoot if you dare Albt more than tub Hours of then Hum Shiation two armoured cars succeedod in driving away troin the bicadeuarterscarrying the leaders of tho coup in Lie GN away from the scene of their cefat town in the country, workers were on The march. Somo besieged the local amy onty than the Allende Gorernment units and demanded to leow what side Ley were on, thus making it im posable for local commanders to daily go over to the insurgonis. Olbors weni to the harr acks to receive guns from sympathetie soldier, and nount armed patrols, while still ollien, armed only with iron hars or their bare hands, threw up road blocks and suched all vehicles, blocking any Thus each single strand in the plotters ion of the masses, and Spinola and his the sand trickle through their fingers