PHOTOS: 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution spreads across Portugal

From LISBON | A few hours before the 25th of April, the date that marks 50 years since the overthrow of the Salazar dictatorship in Portugal, freeing the country from the authoritarian yoke that lasted for 41 years, the Portuguese are already taking to the streets to celebrate half a century of modern democracy and increasingly solid, within the European Union, despite the advances of the extreme right in the small Iberian nation in recent times.

As part of the events that will remember the uprising led by captains of the Portuguese Army between April 24 and 25, 1974, a reconstruction of the military operation will begin this evening (24), with six period armored vehicles leaving the School barracks Cavalry practice in Santarém, leading anonymous soldiers who on that glorious and decisive night covered the 85km that separates the Ribatejo city from the capital of the Republic.

On Thursday morning (25), the column of Panhard tanks, EBR and AML models, Humber MKIV and Chaimite V200 will simulate the arrival at Terreiro do Paço, in Lisbon’s Baixa Pombalina, as well as the siege of the Carmo Quartel, the entry into the Command Post of the Armed Forces Movement (MFA), in Pontinha, and the return to Santarém with victory and the end of the dictatorship. On the same morning, F-16 fighters from the Portuguese Air Force will cross Terreiro do Paço, while two frigates and two patrol ships from the Portuguese Navy will anchor nearby on the bank of the Tagus River, well in front of the public and State authorities.

This evening (24), the official celebrations kicked off with the show “An idea of ​​the future”, which features a concert with more than 180 musicians singing the “songs of April”, and also with the fantastic ‘videomapping’ and projections with images of the historic day on the yellow facades of the buildings that surround Lisbon’s main postcard, which in the center of the area houses a statue in honor of the Marquis of Pombal.

Screams, happiness and many red carnations, a symbol of the most poetic revolution ever seen in the world, predominated in the crowd that occupied the entire Baixa region, from Avenida da Liberdade and Praça do Rossio. For everyone’s safety, there is a lot of policing on the streets of this highly touristic sector, but tonight it is once again taken over by Portuguese citizens.

The 25th of April is a milestone that may not even be celebrated by all Portuguese people, but for an overwhelming majority, which according to a survey published last week is 86% of the population, it is something that should be remembered and celebrated.

For publicist Catarina Almeida, 46 years old, who attended Terreiro do Paço on Wednesday night (24), the grandiose celebration is justifiable, but there is also an aspect that must be considered: the direction the country is taking with growth from the extreme right.

“I wasn’t born yet, but these 50 years have been very, very important, because given the elections we had and the government we currently have, it’s scary to think about how things were, how they have been and to think about where they will end up. There is a threat, yes. Without a doubt”, he said.

For young Simão Pacheco Passarinho, aged 20, who is an architecture student at the Autonomous University of Lisbon, the date is vital for all generations, but the return of the right and more extreme fringes of this political spectrum must be faced by the sectors progressives.

“This 50th anniversary of the revolution is very important for us young people, but also for all Portuguese people. We know that we live in cycles and we are seeing the right gain power again, and for me that is something we have to fight I think that the more people who can fight this march back to power is correct and appropriate”, commented the boy.

See the photos from the initial commemorative act of April 25th in Lisbon: