Downtown Lisbon pulsates with sounds of protest: 15 demos mark April 25 ‘celebrations’

April 25, 2023 is proving to be the most ‘contentious’ Liberty Day in recent history. Downtown Lisbon is literally pulsating with the sounds of protest; there are thousands of people in the streets, chanting, banging drums, blowing whistles, holding red carnations – the logo of Liberty Day – high. Many of the protestors have joined the crowds in support of ongoing industrial action waged by State school teachers fighting for ‘a fair deal’, but others are demonstrating against different forms of perceived injustice at the hands of Portugal’s absolute majority Socialist government.