Raimundo asks Coins to worry less about Christmas markets

O secretary-General of the CFP today argued that the mayor of Lisbon should worry less about the Christmas markets and more about the “coupling he wants to make to Lisbon” with the sale of public land.

Paulo Raimundo spoke to journalists after a meeting with the Casa para Viver platform at the headquarters of the PCP in Lisbon.

Asked about the insistence of the mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Coins, in defense of the withdrawal of Rossio's protest to allow the installation of the Christmas Market in that square, the communist leader criticized the priorities of the mayor.

“ I think that the mayor of Lisbon, rather than being concerned about the Christmas or Easter markets or Carnival parties, should be concerned about the coup he wants to make to Lisboners in the sale of public land that should serve to build housing ", criticized.

Raimundo accused Coins of wanting to sell public land “to ruin” instead of using them to build housing.

“ If you have to put a statue there, you put a statue there so that he can always be concerned about what is happening there on these lands that he wants to sell in public haste to the debarat ", ironized.

On the withdrawal of the camped movement of Lisbon from Praça D. Pedro IV, known as Praça do Rossio, decided on Monday, the communist leader valued that “the same who decided the form” of the protest “it was the same who decided to leave this way” and that demobilization does not remove legitimacy to the protest.

“This is to be appreciated. And I think that this does not in any way remove the validity of the protest, the reasons for indignation, which are growing more and more and which have to be expressed in various ways ", stressed, calling for participation in demonstrations for the right to housing scheduled for Saturday, in more than 30 cities of the country.

The PCP Secretary-General refused to comment on any internal differences in the movement regarding the withdrawal of Rossio, arguing that this would be “to give excuse to the enemy and the enemy already has more than enough pretexts”.

Asked about the possibility of left-wing understandings to respond to the housing crisis, Raimundo said that “it is never late”, but accused the PS of having wasted several opportunities to approve communist proposals over the years as the repeal of the so-called “Cristian Law”.

The Communist leader considered that the discussion in the speciality of the Budget is a “good opportunity” for some parties “to redeem themselves from the disastrous positions they have taken before”.

“ Whoever wants to accompany us, if he does, it is late, but better late than never ", he stressed.

Rita Silva, from the Casa para Viver platform, spoke to journalists after the meeting, lamenting the lack of response of the President of the Republic, António José Seguro, and the Government to the requests for a meeting to present proposals to combat the housing crisis, which the movement advocates can be resolved with political will.