Portuguese military threatens anti-austerian coup

Unlike Greece, where the military has consistently veered to the right, seizing power when it perceived a government as too leftist, the Portuguese military leans toward the left.

And now it’s threatening a coup to overthrow the austerian regime of Social Democrat Prime Minister Pedro Manuel Mamede Passos Coelho.

Like most of Europe’s other so-called social democratic and socialist parties, Coelho and his clique have fully embraced the neoliberalism of Reagan and Thatcher, impoverishing their peoples so that investment banksters can reap their full returns on speculative investments.

From Greece and World:

Portugal, for the first time after the “carnation revolution”, is driven in an emergency situation by the Armed Forces of the country who threaten with a military movement and intervention in political life, if  the policy of Memorandum that has impoverished the Portuguese (too) continues. They call the prime minister Pedro Passos Coelho to resign (actually he is asked to “migrate”)!

In its communication, the Associação de Praças (AP) is accusing the Portuguese government coalition that is “destroying the country” and that “the people turned into guinea pigs for social experiments with the new austerity measures!”.

“It is clear that the policies imposed by this government have failed. Have focused on dissolution of the workers and social rights by imposing more and more austerity, more unemployment and more insecurity ” among other highlights in communication the Associação de Praças (AP).

But the Union of Portuguese military armed forces goes one step further outside of recommendations: It warns the government that they will not stand still in the new wave of austerity sweeping the Portuguese society!

Read the rest.

Maju, a Spanish Basque who blogs at For what we are… they will be, explains the key difference between the Portuguese military and Spain’s — and, by extension, the right wing Greek military:

Unlike in Spain, where the Armed Forces’ officialdom are an extremely reactionary and closed caste, consolidated as such under the Fascist regime, in Portugal, after many sufferings in the colonial independence wars in Africa, the Army took part in the Carnation Revolution, which deposed the military fascist regime, re-established the Republic and accepted the self-determination of the former Portuguese colonies of Africa.

Here’s the full statement of the officers:

Communicated Officers Association of the Portuguese Armed Forces 14 September 2012

“The Armed Forces, from here, reiterate their firm conviction that the military can never be an instrument of repression for their fellow citizens, because according to the Constitution we swore to defend them.”

“People are showing their displeasure with regard to the measures that are being implemented, which can be seen in the statements of different multiple personalities of political and social sectors, so that, by this means, we want to extend our warmest Portuguese solidarity with all who are suffering the weight of the terrible sacrifices that are being imposed, as we did in 2011. We have to keep in mind, first, that people are being subjected to unfair and painful measures , being decided by those who, constitutionally, should ensure the common good, using the excuse that it’s the only way to remedy situations penalized in that they have no responsibility, and that has led them to be the first beneficiaries. “

“Being a citizen is not exclusively belong to the Portuguese society, but should also involve the participation of the same, by some mechanism, in its own transformation. Therefore express our solidarity with all initiatives, in the exercise of the right every citizen, serve to end the unfair practices of some who have the same goals under the guise of noble, when in fact what they are doing is:

• Cheat by using fear and making promises that will not be met, knowing that people are defenseless against it.
• Justify absurd solutions that are based on the constant repetition of the only possibilities are responsible, so irrefutable, even though the facts show just the opposite.
• Insist again and again that we must accept the imposition of sacrifice to get a supposed solution is just around the corner, just past, re-fold the dose of these sacrifices, without reaching those solutions, making pay always consequences to the same, while at the same time, either in Portugal or elsewhere, accumulate wealth without limit, preventing others can getting fair wages they deserve for their work.

“In this situation, in which can be recognized that social tensions are extremely serious and are causing protests and demonstrations in which citizens express the way the Constitution stipulates, their outrage, Association Forces Officers Armed reiterates its firm commitment to the military, constitutionally recognized as an autonomous body, will never accept the use of repression against the citizens they swore to defend, the same way as was expressed by his Excellency, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces.”

The President,
Manuel Martins Pereira Cracel (Colonel TPAA).