Seventy years after the bloody suppression of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, a debate has emerged regarding the celebration of communism in recent protest camps in Lisbon and Porto. The discussion, hosted on the program Contracorrente by journalist Carla Jorge Carvalho alongside guests José Manuel Fernandes and Helena Matos, questions whether current demonstrators are advocating for a communist revolution and what that entails.
The conversation highlights audio recordings from the protests where participants explicitly call for mobilizing the working class to build a revolutionary communist alternative. One speaker representing the Revolutionary Communist Collective (CCR) stated their goal is to guide the working class and place the current system in the "trash of history." Another group, Unidade Popular, described itself as an organization fighting to construct socialism where basic rights like housing and health cease to be commodities for capitalists.
The dialogue also addresses calls for violence and the overthrow of democracy. Recordings feature individuals demanding the destruction of the state, police, capital, courts, and media, characterizing the current situation not as a peaceful protest but as an insurrection similar to events in France. Specific targets mentioned include Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, with speakers accusing him of holding 55 properties at the expense of the people, a claim noted by the hosts as part of the demagoguery often present in such opinions.
The program contextualizes these modern demands by recalling the historical reality of communism, specifically the events of October 4, 1956. On that date, over 2,000 Soviet tanks breached Hungarian defenses and entered Budapest, crushing a popular movement that had occupied streets for two weeks and forcing the country back under Moscow's control. The hosts note that while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently honored the heroes of those days in the Hungarian Parliament, the memory of what communism represented appears to have faded for many.
Guests analyzed the ideological roots of the groups appearing in Portugal, identifying links to Trotskyist internationals and splinter groups from existing parties like the Left Bloc. The discussion drew parallels between these Portuguese movements and figures elsewhere, such as French presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who has argued that property is theft, and Bernie Sanders in the United States. The program emphasized that while some of these ideas may seem marginal in Portugal, they represent a broader trend where older political figures promote radical economic expropriation.
Historical details regarding the Hungarian crisis were provided to illustrate the consequences of such ideologies. The narrative described the rule of Stalinist leader Mátyás Rákosi, who orchestrated repression and purges, including the execution of former police chief László Rajk. Following Stalin's death in 1953 and Khrushchev's secret report on Stalin's crimes at the 20th Party Congress in 1956, internal fractures emerged within the Hungarian communist leadership. This led to student-led demands for reform, including the withdrawal of the Red Army, which Hungary was forced to pay for. These initial student meetings evolved into massive demonstrations along the Danube, uniting thousands before the Soviet intervention.
Sources: Observador.