PORTUGAL: 20,000 FARMERS ATTEND MASS RALLY TO PASS VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN AGRICULTURAL MINISTER AND DEMAND SUSPENSION OF AGRARIAN REFORM LAW.

Record ID: 215456

  • Title: PORTUGAL: 20,000 FARMERS ATTEND MASS RALLY TO PASS VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN AGRICULTURAL MINISTER AND DEMAND SUSPENSION OF AGRARIAN REFORM LAW.
  • Date: 13th January 1976
  • Summary: 1. GV Farmers drive tractors into square. (2 shots) 0.11 2. GV PAN Tractors TO demonstrators massing. 0.16 3. GVs and SVs demonstrators being addressed by leaders. (5 shots) 0.46 4. SV PAN Demonstrators holding banners. 1.01 Initials VS 16.05 VS 16.10 Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 28th January 1976 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BRAGA, PORTUGAL
  • Country: Portugal
  • Reuters ID: LVA7WTU0YL786RHJBHXV8FOUIY2X
  • Story Text: Twenty thousand farmers attended mass rally in the northern city of Braga on Sunday (11 January) to pass a vote of no confidence in the Portuguese Agricultural Minister and demand the suspension of the Agrarian Reform Law.

    Earlier the farmers had threatened to cut off Lisbon's food supply, but at Sunday's meeting it was decided to give the Portuguese Government until 2 February to meet their demands before any drastic action would be taken.

    The rally, which passed without incident, was part of a mounting campaign by smallholder farmers who fear their livelihood is endangered by uncontrolled land seizures.

    The farmers passed a resolution calling for an immediate halt to seizure of land, and the suspension of all agrarian reform until the election of a Legislative Assembly next Spring.

    The resolution accused Socialist Agriculture Minister, Antonio Lopes Cardoso, of being anti-democratic and said the policies of his ministry had the final aim of collectivising land.

    Last Friday (9 January) the Minister admitted that the six-month-old reform law, introduced by a pro-Communist Government, had "gone too far".

    SYNOPSIS: Twenty thousand smallholder farmers attended a mass rally in the northern Portuguese city of Braga on Sunday.

    The farmers drove tractors into the main square and completely blocked traffic.

    The meeting passed a vote of no confidence in the Portuguese Agricultural Minister and called for the immediate suspension of the Agrarian Reform Law. Earlier, the farmers had threatened to cut off Lisbon's food supply, but decided to give the Government until 2 February to meet their demands before any drastic action was taken.

    The rally, which passed without incident, was part of a mounting campaign by small farmers who fear their livelihood is endangered by uncontrolled land seizures. The farmers passed a resolution calling for an immediate halt to the seizure of land, and the suspension of all agrarian reform until the election of a Legislative Assembly next Spring.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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