It was not yet time for lunch when, this Saturday, a small corner of the Quinta da Atalaia, where a few dozen people had gathered, erupted in effusive applause. It was not a concert nor was it time to listen to Jerónimo de Sousa speak; The applause was a reaction to a simple reference by the leader Ilda Figueiredo to article 7 of the Constitution — an article that the party printed in its entirety in the program of the event, which points to the goal of ensuring “peace among peoples” — and a reflection of what the PCP wanted, after all, to convey in this Festa do Avante!: that it is on the side of “peace”, that it does not support the war in Ukraine and that its position in this regard is, after all, and in the end, being misrepresented.

But the conclusion of three days of celebration was not only that and served, a lot, to establish who, after all, is to blame for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In discussions on the subject attended by the Observer, the logic was common: the Russian Federation is being targeted by a “siege” and a “proxy war”; those who want to continue the war are the “economic interests of imperialism”; and the war in Ukraine only works as a pretext for those who really want to “implement a policy of war and sanctions”: the United States, NATO and the “follower” European Union.

In the midst of this narrative, in which the PCP finds itself, at the national level, isolated, where is the party? Leaders and activists know the answer: in difficulties. And so these days of “Avante!” have also passed. establish the script to deal with these difficulties, or, in the words of the communists, “break the fence” and the “ideological offensive”, “dismantle myths, blockades and official versions”, and try to get their message through . The motto, repeated by several leaders, is clear: “The PCP speaks for the PCP.” There is no room for other interpretations.

“They want to fight to the death of the last Ukrainian”

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