French President Emmanuel Macron today praised the importance of the April 25 revolution on the European democratic path, recalling that “today’s Europe owes a lot” to the courage of the then young “Captains of April”.
“Tomorrow (Thursday) we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution. I would like to join our friends in Portugal, the Portuguese in France and all our compatriots of Portuguese descent to celebrate this very important anniversary for democracy in Europe,” he said. The French head of state in a video released to mark the 50th anniversary on April 25.
In the same message, the French President did not forget about the young “April captains” who “expressed the hope of the entire people for peace and democracy.” “They were not even thirty years old, but they were already heroes. Today’s Europe owes a lot to their courage,” says Macron.
According to the French head of state, the friendship between Portugal and France to this day is strengthened by the flow of citizens since the dictatorship, when many Portuguese sought a better life in France and still live between the two countries.
“France is proud to have welcomed into its territory hundreds of thousands of Portuguese men and women in the 1950s and 1960s, driven out by poverty, the systematic violation of their rights, arbitrary and brutal political repression, and their refusal to participate in this system and in these unjust wars,” the French President said.
The two countries now share “secular ties,” preparing the future of the European Union and defending the causes that shape the future, sharing “the same vision of a free, democratic and fair world,” the French president said.
“We owe this to the memory of the “Captains of April” and the Portuguese people who, fifty years ago, stood up against injustice and poverty and won the admiration of France, Europe and the whole world with a red carnation in their hand.” “, said Macron, ending his message with the words: “Always April 25th! Long live Portugal! Thank you Portugal!”
In the video, Macron also listed some Portuguese figures who fought for democracy, such as Maria Isabel Barreno, Maria Teresa Horta and Maria Velho da Costa, who fought for women’s rights, as well as Mário Soares, Álvaro Cunhal and Emidio Guerreiro, who took asylum in France before the revolution, returning to Portugal after 25 April 1974.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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