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MPPM joined the April 25th celebration on Avenida da Liberdade in Lisbon, where many thousands celebrated the freedom and rights re-acquired in 1974, but recalled that April is still not fully fulfilled.

As recalled in the call of the Promoting Committee, discrimination by gender, age, disability, ethnic origin and socio-economic deprivation persist, and it must be ensured that all Portuguese have access to pensions, retirement and decent wages, health, education, culture and housing.

It was also said that to comply with April is to contribute to the construction of a society where one can live with dignity, in a nature-friendly environment, where Peace, dialogue and cooperation between Nations and Peoples are a reality.

Last March marked 20 years since the invasion of Iraq by the US, UK and their allies, in a war of aggression that violated all the norms of International Law. The month of March - which proved particularly tragic for the peoples of the Middle East - also marked 12 years since the beginning of the NATO bombing of Libya and the intervention in Syria by the Western powers and their regional allies,. It was also in the month of March that, in 2015, the foreign military aggression against Yemen began.

At the invitation of the respective president, MP Joana Mortágua, the MPPM met with the Parliamentary Friendship Group Portugal-Palestine (PFGP-P) last March 8th.

The MPPM was represented by its vice-president Carlos Almeida and by the members of the National Directorate Ana Mesquita, Teresa Palma Fernandes and Vítor Pinto.

The PFGP-P was represented by Joana Mortágua (Block of the Left), president; Ivan Gonçalves (Socialist Party) and Bruno Dias (Communist Party), vice-presidents; and Isabel Moreira (Socialist Party), Ana Isabel Santos (Socialist Party) and Rui Cruz (Social Democratic Party).

Carlos Almeida summarised MPPM's perspective on the current situation in Palestine and recalled that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the Nakba.

Joana Mortágua, Ivan Gonçalves and Bruno Dias said they were aware of the situation in Palestine and showed great commitment to solidarity with the Palestinian people. Rui Cruz also spoke.

The MPPM promoted yesterday, Friday, at the Lisbon chapter of Associação José Afonso, a Palestinian Cultural Evening with music, poems and gastronomy.

Teresa Palma Fernandes introduced the session, which started with a reference to José Afonso, the patron of the place, where we were, listening to his song "Kissinger's Puppets" in which, at a certain point, he sings: "At the point of a rifle the People of Palestine / Sent Golda Meir a message divine ".

This was followed by the screening of the documentary "The Palestinian Culture" produced by the MPPM.

The actor Marques d'Arede began the reading of poems, starting with the poem "To Ahmed, Child of Palestine" by Guadalupe Portelinha.
Actress Maria Emília Castanheira then joined him to read poems by several Palestinian authors. Mazen Sabra, a Palestinian living in Portugal, accompanied them on the oud.

To conclude, we had several interpretations of the famous poem "To My Mother", by Mahmoud Darwich.