The president of the republic ended on Wednesday a visit he deemed “unforgettable” to the communities of emigrants and Portuguese descendants in California with a message of defense of diversity, openness to migration and tolerance.
North of San Francisco, on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was in Tiburon, in Marin County, where in other times there were pastures and cowsheds of emigrants from the Azores who settled there from the 19th century. , honored this Wednesday.
The head of state laid the foundation stone on a monument honoring dairy farmers in the Azores, in a ceremony attended by authorities from Tiburon and Marin County, who were joined by students from a local school.
“Remember how hard it was to get here and help build this beautiful nation”said. “It was only possible because they accepted us, they understood that your country must be a melting pot of cultures and receive migrants from all sides”he added.
The President of the Republic emphasized that during this five-day trip to the west coast of the United States of America, he was accompanied by the Secretary of State for Communities, Paulo Cafôfo, and by delegates from four parties, “from left to right”, not to say “extreme left, extreme right”, PS, PSD, Enough and Left Block.
And it included all these parties in a unit related to migrants: “Left, right, center right, center left, we are together when we talk about migrants and we pay tribute to all migrants, because that’s how Portugal is, that’s the Azores”.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa addressed the children and young people who were there, calling this moment “a tribute to the future” and not just to the past: “You are the future. I don’t know if there is Silvas or Sousas or someone with a Portuguese name”.
“It doesn’t matter, they understand what the future is. The future is different people, with different cultures, with different roots, with different origins, working together, building a great nation together”considered.
During this ceremony, Tiburon Mayor John Welner and Marin County Representative Stephanie Moulton-Peters also left messages in defense of diversity and inclusion.
“We are committed to ensuring that Marin is a place where everyone can participate, thrive and reach their full potential, regardless of race, gender, nationality, age, skills, sexual orientation or zip code”said Stephanie Moulton-Peters.
Later, while walking on the outskirts of Tiburon, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa spoke to a local journalist to whom he pointed to “tolerance” as the fundamental characteristic a politician must have in the United States of America.
In Sausalito, also in the county of Marin, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa took stock of this “unforgettable” visit, with all the deputies accompanying him behind him, except Pedro Filipe Soares, parliamentary leader of BE, who chose to stay .
According to the head of state “all Portuguese understand” the importance of a visit like this, which was primarily intended to “thank the Portuguese communities”.
“Communities are essential to Portugal, because communities are Portugal, and in many cases they are the most dynamic, the most vibrant, the most focused on Portugal’s future, and even more courageous, because they had the courage to take risks”praised.
“There is no Portuguese who does not understand the importance of communities”strengthens.
Source: DN
