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The expectation was high, moments before the start of the rally that usually ends the political and cultural party of the PCP, in the Atalaia and Cabo da Marinha farms, in Seixal, Setúbal district.
The annual communist event has been controversial in recent months, drawing criticism from various sectors of society, even after the establishment of regulations by the General Directorate of Health (DGS), which reduced the capacity of the hall to some 16,500 people.
“Where should I sit if I’m from Setúbal?” A militant asked one of the many audience members who reinforced their presence on the stage “25 de Abril” -the largest in the venue-, guiding each one to the designated place .
Seated in the audience were members of the Communist Central Committee and international delegations (from Spain to Greece, from Cuba to Palestine), flags were raised and voices were tuned in, in a room where chairs were lost from sight and the usual words of order: “The fight continues.”
On stage, the surfaces were cleaned between each intervention, and in the words of the leaders, “organizational capacity”, “responsibility” and “party security” were emphasized.
After 45 minutes of intervention by the general secretary of the PCP, Jerónimo de Sousa, in addition to the usual “Communist International” and the sung national anthem, calls were repeated so that the seated militants did not get up from their seats.
“Comrades, we must remain in our seats in such a way that the exit respects social distance,” he appealed from the stage, through the sound system.
The stampede was carried out in the most orderly manner possible, with a glimpse of one or the other encounter, between the different support vans and audience assistants who led the crowd.
The “Avante!” It ends this Sunday, with a concert by the Xutos e Pontapés band, after an unpublished edition marked by protests against its performance, especially by right-wing parties, and with a significant reduction in visitors.
