At a point where more and more European countries are finding themselves sucked into the crisis in the Middle East, feelings in Portugal are polarised. The government has taken a stand – it does not endorse the conflict but it supports its ally the United States; the outgoing president has been much more critical (of the United States’ actions), and the incoming president has been encouraged to state his position (and show that he does not in any way support the Trump administration’s approach).
In the meantime, the disquiet over the United States’ use of Lajes air base on Terceira island for logistics in this operation has not been in the least dispelled by the government’s assurance that no planes left the base last Saturday to carry out the initial attack.
The truth is that refuelling planes are using the base – and they will be refuelling aircraft that is active in the military assault.
Today, a protest took place 100 metres from the entrance to Lajes, with the small group of people involved braving the rain to shout slogans like “Lajes for peace, not for bombings” and “In the Azores and on the mainland we want peace in the Middle East”.
Banners waved carried messages like: “Azores out of Trump’s war”, “Respect International Law”, “Trump out of Terceira” and “Nobel War Prize”.
Speaking for the protestors, Laura Alves told reporters: “Just as the government has the capacity to criticise Trump’s threats to Spain, we believe that the government should have the capacity, the clarity, to only allow the use of the Lajes Air Base when it comes to military operations stemming from organisations of which both Portugal and the United States are members. In our view, this was not the case with these military operations.”
Alves added that the vision of Terceira’s protestors “is representative of a significant part of the Portuguese population.”
As such, “the government exists to represent the whole population, and all points of view should be taken into account in this discussion.
“We are here to take this matter to the table (to parliament, in other words) to guarantee that all sides of this conversation are represented. As far as we can see, this has not been the position of the government up till now.”
Acknowledging the presence of various members of extreme leftist party, Bloco de Esquerda, Alves insisted that the protest was not in fact ‘political’. It was a ‘citizens’ initiative, that included people of “various persuasions (…) clearly opposed to the Iranian regime (… but also) opponents of narratives that justify the escalation of this conflict and ignore the path of diplomacy and negotiations”.
Lusa’s report says ”protesters also question “the inconsistency of the Portuguese government’s position” and “the lack of clarification regarding the purpose of the flights on February 27, and the communications recorded on February 28″.
“We are here to say that if there are doubts about the purpose of the use, automatic authorisations should not be given without the need for a response,” emphasised Laura Alves.
Shortly after the demonstration, two US Air Force C-130 aircraft – usually used to transport troops and cargo – took off from the base.
The 15 KC-46 Pegasus refuelling aircraft, stationed at Lajes since February 18, are currently grounded, but have been on missions since February 27.
Last Sunday and Monday were the busiest days – but every day at least seven of these aircraft, which have the capacity to refuel military aircraft in flight, have been taking off, writes Lusa – adding that these KC-46 Pegasus “are expected to be used to refuel US military aircraft travelling between the United States and the Middle East and back, including B1 and B2 bombers, which the Americans have already admitted to using in this attack.”
In the meantime, former presidential candidate Ana Gomes – herself a lifelong Socialist – has said she hopes the incoming president, António José Seguro, will distance himself from the fence-sitting of the government, and come out and condemn the United States’ actions, stressing that “they are illegal”.
In a podcast for Lusa extra, the former Euro MP said: “There are ways of saying it so as to clean the honour of Portugal, because this is what is at issue.
Ana Gomes has a reputation for saying what she thinks, whatever may be politically correct. Image: Lusa
“Right now it is essential to do exactly the opposite of what the government of Luís Montenegro is doing – which is aligning with the attack on Iran carried out by the United States and by Israel – and to denounce (what is happening) as illegal, and against international law. This has to be said,” Gomes insists.
To some extent, outgoing president Marcelo has already said words to this effect. But perhaps ‘sotto voce’: at a ceremony to which journalists were not in attendance.
For Gomes, the government is repeating the mistakes of the PSD government of Durão Barroso – which also condoned “an aggression that was also completely illegal, the attack on Iraq…”
Where this wrangle goes from here is anyone’s guess. Gomes appears to see the situation as one in which Portugal must not end up looking like it bent over backwards to satisft “bullies”.
“There are moments when we need to have principles, values and the courage to stand up against bullies, the aggressors”, she told the podcast.
Source material: LUSA
