On the holiday dedicated to the worker and which has been celebrated in Portugal for 50 years, because before April 25th that did not happen, among the thousands of people who were in the street José and Fernando reminded Lusa of the same day in 1974, when they were also there, celebrating the date for the first time and in freedom.

Recalling the celebrations of April 25th, last week, Fernando Libório, 84 years old, saw in them, due to the number of people who joined, "the second April 25th". The first of May 1974 "was something...". He was referring to the thousands of people who filled the streets then. But he added after a pause: "But this one is not bad".

Fernando Libório looked at the full Avenue, spoke of the many people who took more than two hours to go up the street, of the participation of the young people, which he assured was a lot, even though Lusa did not see much support from young people in today's demonstration.

But many families participated in it, some with flags, the unionists of the march, organized by the union center CGTP, with banners full of demands, and slogans all the time.

At the top of the march the banners of the union center, many, but then also banners of unions belonging to the CGTP family, some from Portugal, from Brazil even, from Palestine. And posters alluding to immigration, saying that "nobody is illegal". And others demanding better salaries, some leaving the demand in verse. "Hospital full time, the people of Barreiro want it".

José Ernesto Cartaxo, former unionist, 81 years old, was in the Avenue 50 years ago with other demands. The Intersindical, created in 1970, in the first meeting after April 25th had as its first demand that May 1st be a holiday.

But also the right to strike, the national minimum wage... "there was a whole work that came from behind and that ended on May 1st", he recalled to Lusa, also remembering the "impressive and overwhelming thing" that the day was 50 years ago.

He was 31 years old then. He had been imprisoned between 1971 and 1973, then had difficulty finding a job because he was a political prisoner, but since October he had been working in a metalworking company, he was a unionist, he was involved in the celebrations.

In these 50 years, he said, "there have been very great developments", the standard of living of the people has improved, the values of April were enshrined in the Constitution. "The problem is that these values are not being practiced", he added, arguing that the best way to defend rights is to exercise them, especially at times when they try to silence these values of April 25th.

April was present in the slogans, such as "April and May again, with the strength of the people", but also in the well-known phrase "the united people will never be defeated".

Fernando Libório, hand in hand with his wife, says that he was imprisoned in Caxias, that he fled to the Netherlands, that he returned after the revolution in time to be on the Avenue, where he returns every year, also because people "are getting worse and worse" and it is necessary to speak and fight.

And if 50 years ago there was a lot of misery today, he assured, there is also, only covered up, and there are "governments exploiting people". We must fight, he warned, because "fascism is always lurking". And he promised to always return to the Avenue, until he dies.

Today's Avenue, from time to time with the smell of oriental food, many curious people watching the march with cell phones in hand, an Indian man trying to sell red hats, a group offering books from a religious confession, ended up in Alameda Dom Afonso Henriques.

The Lisbon demonstration of May 1st ended there, where the smell of chamuça was replaced by that of bifanas. The man with the red hats was also there.

Leia Também: 1.º de Maio: CGTP-IN critica "Governo dos grupos económicos" (Portuguese version)