They guarantee to be non-partisan, independent and peaceful. They want an alternative to the Government's austerity policy, associated with the Troika memorandum, and they trust the Portuguese's ability to participate in building a better future if called upon to do so.
The collective «Fuck the Troika: The people are the ones who order the most» will be on the street this Saturday in Faro, Loulé and Portimão, similarly to what will happen all over the country and in some cities across borders.
The concentration is scheduled for 16 pm in the three cities. In Faro, the meeting point is Largo do Carmo, in Loulé next to the Municipal Market and in Portimão the Praça Manuel Teixeira Gomes (opposite Casa Inglesa). In the latter case, the “Men of the Fight” join the protesters.
Three elements of the group of citizens who have taken on the responsibility of leading the movement in Faro were the guests of this week's “Impressions” radio program. João Merlo, Pedro Afonso and Joana Cabrita explained to the Sul Informação and to Rádio Universitária do Algarve, which leads them to take to the streets in protest. A conversation that you can listen to in full today, Saturday, at 12 noon on 102.7 FM or on the RUA FM website.
“This is all about developing and strengthening ourselves, citizens, a political culture. I hope that we all come out more mature from these actions and that we believe that an alternative is possible, that we are together», considered João Merlo.
Alternatives that the Government has defended that have not been presented by those who defend them. But they do exist and have been aired by many, they argued.
“There are two things in what has been called social movements: there is the production of ideas and alternatives, which have already been created, they are there, they circulate. For example, the Democratic Congress of Alternatives, which has presented solutions that, in theory, are all possible and with which economists who are intellectually honest do not disagree,” said Pedro Afonso.
"In addition to being a space where alternatives can circulate, these will never exist if there are no people on the streets, if there is no clear no to what is happening today," he added.
And the government is listening, believe me. “You can ignore it, but you're listening. And he hears it every day, so much so that he can't go out into the street. A Government that has to hide inside and luxury cars and millionaire offices is not with its country and it is not with its people. At the moment, they are refugees», considered Pedro Afonso.
In the movement "there are even convinced capitalists"
The social movements that have organized the “Fuck the Troika” protests and, in some cases, the phenomenon already dubbed “grandoladas” to members of the Government, are often connoted with Left parties and even accused of instrumentalization. The members of the Farense collective of that movement reject this idea and guarantee that there are people in the group from all political parties and convictions, “there are even convinced capitalists”.
As for the instrumentalization, they refuse the idea, but consider it beneficial that, for example, flags of structures with a strong partisan connotation appear in the protests.
Confronted with the example of a CGTP flag in a protest organized by citizens, Pedro Afonso considered that "it is great, when it comes to the unions". «I think that, in a social and street struggle, the worst nightmare for those in power is that unorganized social movements join organizations», defended Pedro Afonso.
Even with the adhesion to the movement "Fuck the Troika", the group of Faro, like the rest of the country, does not have a central management structure and João Melro even gives a curious example. "The other time, explaining this to someone, I gave the example of al-Qaeda cells (laughs)," he said.
«We made the protest here spontaneously, without directives from Lisbon and without knowing the people there. We fully understand that this was the time to do this», summarized João Melro.
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