The communist secretary-general this Monday distanced himself from the clashes during Saturday’s demonstration for the right to housing in Lisbon, deeming them deplorable, but insisting that the protest was marked by the protesters’ demands and not by the disturbances.
“We have not followed the final expression of this protest, under the conditions you have mentioned here, but what were these regrettable incidents, what were those thousands of people who took to the streets for just reasons, who had and continue to have,” stated.
Paulo Raimundo spoke at a press conference at the PCP’s national headquarters in Lisbon, where he presented the conclusions of a meeting of the party’s Central Committee that took place on Sunday.
According to Paulo Raimundo, the demonstration “Casa para Viver”, which took place in Lisbon on Saturday and in which he participated, was marked by the demands of the thousands of people who took to the streets for the right to housing and not clashes with the police.
“Such incidents are regrettable, we think they should not have happened. In fact, if they had not happened, we would have been talking about something else: about the content of the demonstration and what brought people to the streets, and not about the events himself,” he said.
Asked if he fears that the frequency of demonstrations with the participation of inorganic movements could provoke more confrontations and escape the control of the union organization, as has already happened in France, Paulo Raimundo said that his party appreciates all actions of struggle ” with fair aims,” no matter who organizes it, the shapes or sizes.
The PCP secretary general stressed that there are “thousands or millions of people” on the streets worldwide protesting for “justifiable reasons”.
“If it were your will to do what a few dozen or hundreds of people end up doing, this would be chaos. Well, that’s not what’s happening,” he stressed.
Paulo Raimundo emphasized that what characterizes the demonstrations taking place around the world “are not these disturbances at the end”, but rather the demands for wage increases, the fight against raising the retirement age or for peace.
“It is so in our case. (…) What characterizes it is a great will to fight, to demand answers to everyone’s problems, and their just demands,” he said.
At this press conference, Paulo Raimundo defended that the “dimension and intensification of the mass struggle” has resulted in “numerous victories and conquests, especially in terms of wage increases”, and forced the government to announce measures.
“Although limited and inadequate, it is underlined that it was the struggle that forced the government to admit needs it was unwilling to acknowledge until recently,” he stressed.
However, Paulo Raimundo regretted that the announced measures “deviate from the essential” and “do not limit the profits and interests of economic groups, beyond legitimizing highly speculated prices”.
“So it is with the measures of the so-called fight against inflation, as with the so-called ‘More Housing’ package, where measures after measures were also announced, but without seeking a single penny from the profits of banks and banks. Real estate funds, on the contrary ‘ he criticized.
In this context, Paulo Raimundo called for “intensification of the struggle”, immediately with “a strong mobilization for the commemorations of April 25 and for the day of battle on May 1”.
Asked if he believes that the more frequent nature of the demonstrations is also due to the new leadership of the PCP and its work to raise workers’ awareness, Paulo Raimundo defended that what “gets people moving” allegations are and in particular “the fairness and urgency of wage increases”.
“These are the fundamental reasons that bring people into the streets and into battles. (…) The PCP is on the side, is it outside this process? Has it not contributed? It has, it has contributed with its intervention, action , with its mobilizing role. We don’t put ourselves out of it, but what makes people take to the streets is their justified claims,” he stressed.
On Saturday, the “Casa para Viver” demonstration took place in Lisbon, which brought thousands of people together to protest against the rise in rents and house prices.
At the end of the demonstration, protesters and the police got involved in clashes in Martim Moniz Square, during which two people were arrested.
Source: DN
