At a parliamentary session commemorating the 50th anniversary of November 25, 1975, PSD Vice-President Pedro Alves emphasized that the date “united rather than divided” the nation.
However, the Social Democratic deputy pointed out that while in April “everyone was for freedom,” in November “only some were for democracy,” adding that in the name of national reconciliation, “the defeated were forgiven and socially reintegrated.”
“They now teach in universities, serve as deputies in this parliament, and appear on television giving lessons on democracy. Had they won, we would find ourselves in Campo Pequeno,” he accused.
Addressing the controversial comparisons with April 25, 1974, the deputy noted that the Portuguese “dispense with discussions on the metaphysics of dates” which fuel “pseudo-intellectual debates of right against left and left against right.”
He warned, however, that they “have even less patience” for viewpoints that diminish the significance of November 25.
“Allowing this to be forgotten is a mistake (…) But, above all, it is dangerous,” he cautioned.
Meanwhile, the leader of Chega claimed that “the parliament honors not the day that created freedom, but the day that saved freedom,” marking the “fight against the deviations of the 1974 Revolution” that persist.
“Where we once fought for freedom of expression, today we fight against cancel culture […]. Today we don’t fight against expropriations but against this tax burden that also expropriates us, that also kills us and small entrepreneurs all over the country and makes us poorer. If there was a future to be given to November 25, 1975, there must be a future to be given to November 25, 2025,” he argued.
André Ventura expressed gratitude to the former combatants and once again criticized the President of the Republic, sitting behind him, for his reaction to the speech by the President of Angola during independence celebrations, accusing him of “betraying the Portuguese, both current and past.”
The Chega leader also expressed a desire to remove Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho, Che Guevara, or Álvaro Cunhal from Portuguese street names, replacing them with names like Ramalho Eanes or Jaime Neves (which, in these two cases, has already occurred), arguing that Portugal should honor freedom, not tyranny.
Representing IL, leader and deputy Mariana Leitão warned that November 25 “is not just a date on the calendar” but the day when the country said “no to authoritarianism and totalitarianism” and chose “liberal democracy without ambiguity.”
“We all know what was being prepared on that day. We are all aware of the real risk we faced. For those who doubt the danger Portugal experienced, just look at this room. Today’s absences speak for themselves: they reveal who stood on the wrong side of history, who at that decisive moment did not want freedom, who, half a century later, still resists celebrating freedom,” she stated, referencing the absence of the PCP from this solemn session.
Mariana Leitão affirmed that IL celebrates “with the same joy” both April 25 and November 25 and warned against other threats to freedom today: “subtle control, the weight of conformity, the temptation to give up rights in exchange for illusory security.”
CDS-PP parliamentary leader Paulo Núncio stressed that “November does not replace April, November completes April,” and therefore “must be celebrated.”
“I hope that the new generations, the future of Portugal, will know how to overcome the false opposition between April and November, which only some today are interested in promoting, and will know how to affirm, without complexes and with great conviction, long live freedom, long live democracy, long live November 25,” he emphasized.
From the tribune, as PSD and IL did, Núncio saluted former President of the Republic Ramalho Eanes, highlighting that “his leadership and firmness were absolutely decisive in preventing an extremist coup against Portuguese democracy,” a mention applauded by almost the entire hemicycle.
JPP’s sole deputy, Filipe Sousa, argued that November 25 was a “victory of courage over fanaticism” and insisted that “Portugal cannot again kneel before extremisms” nor “allow democracy to be stolen in silence,” adding that this date discomforts “those who preferred history to be written in a single convenient version” and “never reconciled” with the country’s choice for freedom.”
