On Saturday, January 21st, 2012, a demonstration was held against unemployment, job precariousness and the new austerity measures that the Portuguese government and the IMF/ECB/EU Troika are promoting. This was also a protest march against the repression during the general strike of November 24th, 2011.
During the demo, an organized group of nationalists tried to march together with the rest of the protesters. Spontaneously, people blocked the street, chanting antifascist slogans such as ‘Fascism never again’ and ‘O, Nazi, get outta here!’
When people moved closer, almost surrounding the group of neo-Nazis, some of these scumbags fired smoke canisters and attacked demonstrators along with the cops. People kept pushing them out of the demonstration. Soon after, a police barrier was formed protecting the neo-Nazis, while one protester under the warmest applause burned a flag expropriated from the block of the ‘national opposition movement’ (MON).
In a video from the regimes’ Press (here) one can see the coordinated attack of cops and fascists. It’s good to remember that on March 12th, 2011, the neo-Nazis of the ‘national renewal party’ (NRP) had no problems attending the huge manifestation of the ‘Geração à Rasca/Precarious Generation’ —which emerged through facebook. Back then, the corporate media, too, served and added value to those fascists who were spreading their propaganda of vomiting hate.
This time the people responded through direct action and blocked the neo-fascists, who once more relished the protection of the cops.
The war has begun and we will fight back!
Never again fascism! Our lives in our hands!
—compas’ correspondence
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