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LONG LIVE THE SOVIET OF THE MARINHA GRANDE!
The national insurrection perpetrated on January 18, 1934 arose specifically as a national movement to contest the corporate offensive against the free trade unions, by force of the recently published "National Labour Statute and Organization of National Trade Unions" in September 1933 by the FASCIST STATE, called Estado Novo, regime responsible for thousands of victims, killed in confrontations, arrests or in situations of torture, imprisonment in concentration camps on the mainland, islands and colonies, persecutions, expulsions from the country, deportations to the islands and colonies, sowing a trail of terror among several generations of Portuguese.
The workers repudiated this attack and responded with an uprising and an insurrectionary national general strike.
The general strike of 18 January 1934 was the first major clash against the dictator Salazar. The trade union organisations formed a so-called Unity Committee which planned the uprising.
In most of the country, the uprising turned out to be of little significance, but in Marinha Grande, where there was an important glass industry, the workers led by communist revolutionaries José Gregório and António Guerra, from the PCP, even took power in the town.
The workers organised themselves, distributed tasks, took over the GNR post and occupied the town for hours, instituting the Soviete da Marinha Grande, hoisting the red flag.
The workers distributed the few weapons they had amongst themselves, divided into small groups, took up positions and defended their positions fiercely until they could no longer withstand the ferocity of the reaction, which used powerful means to repress the workers.
The revolutionaries arrested by the fascists received extremely violent and torturous treatment by the repression, being sentenced to long years in prison and 37 exiled to the Concentration Centre of Tarrafal (African colonies), several of whom died there.
In o Proletário, newspaper of the CIS - Inter-Syndical Commission, published between March and July 1934:
"around 2 o'clock on the 18th, we made the deployment of our shock forces. Everything was done in an organised manner. Our comrades were distinguished by a red armband with a sickle and hammer. A large group followed cutting off communications. At the same time, three other groups marched simultaneously to occupy the Town Hall, the telegraph station and the GNR barracks. The weapons were only what could be found; some shotguns, two pistols and about five bombs.
"However, all the strategic points of the town were already in our hands. On the other hand, the entire working class of Marinha Grande was already in the streets, supporting the few armed men we had. The barracks were completely blocked and the force was given fifteen minutes to surrender. He refused. The attack was unleashed. Two hours of shooting and the surrender came. The force was disarmed and the commander asked us to prevent possible revenge. He remembered dozens of his victims walking the streets... We agreed that the best means of safeguarding them against this, would be to keep them prisoners, under the guard of trusted comrades. So we led them to a glass factory. But note: only those who feared reprisals went there. Two, for example, did not fear reprisals, they went home and nobody hurt them. Once the GNR were defeated, all resistance ceased. "At five o'clock in the morning, the whole of Marinha Grande was in the hands of the proletariat and thousands of workers went around the town victorious for our Party.
"A short distance from Marinha Grande, we heard footsteps of many people near us. The question of "Who's coming there?" was answered by an arrogant "Government forces!" and a discharge. A wounded comrade fell. We fought back and for a few minutes a nurturing firefight ensued. We felt that the attacking force was moving away. We advanced. They had abandoned the wounded on the road. But in the meantime the artillery was coming into action."
"It was folly to prolong resistance. Little more than twenty of us possessed firearms. The Government was opposing us with artillery, cavalry, infantry, machine guns... and even a plane was already flying over the town to regulate the artillery fire!"
