The Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) opposed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Portugal, denouncing the Portuguese government’s alignment with Washington and warning that closer cooperation with the United States would deepen Portugal’s involvement in military conflicts.
Portuguese Communist Party protested Rubio’s visit to Portugal
On 7 October, a protest was held at Largo de São Domingos in Lisbon under the slogan “Marco Rubio is not welcome in Portugal!” The protest was organised by the Portuguese Council for Peace and Cooperation (CPPC), with participation from the PCP, the General Confederation of Portuguese Workers (CGTP-IN), and organisations supporting Palestine and Cuba. Demonstrators called for an end to war, an end to what they described as the genocide of the Palestinian people, and an end to US aggression against Cuba.
The CPPC had called for the demonstration several days before Rubio’s arrival. Its appeal criticised the Portuguese government’s decision to allow US forces to use the Lajes Air Base in the Azores for military operations against Iran, arguing that the decision illustrated Portugal’s growing alignment with US foreign policy.
On 8 October, the day of Rubio’s meetings in Lisbon, the PCP Press Office issued a statement entitled “On Marco Rubio’s Visit to Portugal.” It described Rubio as one of the principal figures behind US imperialism’s policy of confrontation, aggression and war.
The statement connected US policy to support for Israel’s occupation and military operations in the Middle East, the war against Iran, pressure on Cuba, military action against Venezuela, and the escalation of NATO and EU confrontation with Russia.
The party emphasised that Rubio’s visit exposed the “alignment and subordination” of Portugal’s governing PSD/CDS coalition to Washington. It singled out the authorisation of US use of Lajes as a platform for military action against Iran, warning that the visit could lead to an even greater Portuguese commitment to US strategic and military objectives.
The PCP called for expanded solidarity with peoples resisting imperialist threats and intervention, opposition to militarism and war, the dissolution of NATO, rejection of the militarisation of the European Union, and the establishment of a system of collective security in Europe. It concluded with the declaration: “In defence of peace, sovereignty and rights, Marco Rubio is not welcome in Portugal!”
The PCP had also raised the issue of the Lajes Air Base in the European Parliament before Rubio’s arrival. On 5 October, PCP MEP JoĂŁo Oliveira challenged Portuguese Prime Minister LuĂs Montenegro over the government’s authorisation of US use of the base for military action against Iran. Oliveira also criticised rising fuel prices associated with the war and called for measures to protect wages, pensions and household living standards.
(Photo: publico.pt)