Patrícia Gilvaz, who led the Liberal Initiative (IL) parade with a megaphone in her hand, told Lusa that the incident took place in Marquês de Pombal, in Lisbon, when they were singing several songs, one of which was "April 25th forever, fascism never again, April 25th forever, communism never again".

"Someone was very bothered, came and grabbed me by the arm, pulled me, pushed me and started shouting that I was a communist, that he had fought for our rights and started insulting me, he started insulting everyone who was there singing for freedom, forgetting that April was made precisely to sing against all totalitarian ideologies", she said.

According to the deputy's account, the individual was later removed by a person who was with him and also by IL militants, when "they began to realize what was happening and the pulling and pushing started to become more aggressive".

Asked if she intends to file a complaint, Patrícia Gilvaz replied: "I don't know the gentleman at all, I don't know his name".

Ontem na Av. da Liberdade fui empurrada por um senhor que agarrando-me pelo braço gritou "eu sou comunista, lutei pelos teus direitos" e depois começou a insultar-me.

Peguei no megafone e gritei: “Comunismo nunca mais”. Continuei a descer a avenida. A liberdade não tem donos!

— Patrícia Gilvaz (@patriciagilvaz) April 26, 2024

"Therefore, I will not file a complaint against a stranger, whom I cannot identify, but I regret that, in the 21st century, 50 years after the conquest of freedom, there are still situations like these in which they try to oppress and make a real attack on freedom of expression", she stressed.

The deputy pointed out that, in the past, she had led the IL parade with a megaphone in her hand, and the party had also heard insults, but this year she felt "greater aggression".

"It had never happened to us that they came to the point of physically challenging us, and this year there was even this escalation of attitudes", she said, considering that what happened to her yesterday was a "real attack on freedom of expression", but stating that she will not be intimidated.

"We will never be silent in favor of freedom, never", she said.

On the social network X (formerly Twitter), the leader of the IL, Rui Rocha, reacted to this incident, stressing that "they can grab and try to physically intimidate Patrícia Gilvaz", but she "will not be conditioned".

"They can insult us and threaten us, as they always do (and did again yesterday). They can try to prevent us from participating, as they have already done. They don't know us. We will not be intimidated", he said, adding that "freedom does not belong to the left, to those who appropriate the party, seeking to exclude those who think differently".

"Freedom belongs to everyone and we will continue to say it every day, everywhere, on the street, without accepting any kind of conditioning. We don't stay on the couch", he says.

Um mês depois das eleições em que perdeu 30% do eleitorado, Pedro Nuno Santos considera-se dono do voto da multidão que celebrou a Liberdade na Avenida e declara que o povo quer a esquerda no poder. É um sinal claro de revanchismo, intolerância e falta de respeito pelo voto dos… pic.twitter.com/rAZNOBxlDl

— Rui Rocha (@ruirochaliberal) April 26, 2024

In this publication, Rui Rocha addresses statements by the PS general secretary in the parade - in which he stated that the crowd that filled Avenida da Liberdade is a sign that the "Portuguese people want the left in power" - to recall that there were legislative elections a month ago.

"It is a clear sign of revenge, intolerance and disrespect for the votes of the Portuguese, who made themselves heard just a few weeks ago", it reads.

The IL returned this year to integrate the traditional commemorative parade of April 25th on Avenida da Liberdade, in Lisbon, as it had done in 2023, after two consecutive years in which it promoted its own initiative.

Since its foundation, the IL has participated in these popular celebrations in 2018 and 2019, a parade that did not take place in 2020 due to the pandemic. In the following two years, the liberals had their own parade after the controversy with the organizing committee of the April 25th commemorative parade.

Read Also: April 25th. Hundreds of people celebrate 50 years of freedom in Faro (Portuguese version)