Rui Moreira timely reflection on the Liberal Revolution and main phenomena that threaten freedom today

The Mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira, was an invited speaker at the opening of the congress "A Construção da(s) Liberdade(s)" ["The Building of Freedom(s)", free translation], under the programme of the celebration of the Bicentennial of the 1820 Liberal Revolution, which was held online due to the pandemic, on 5th November. 

The Mayor started by saying that there are today "a set of social phenomena that pose a serious threat to freedom, not only in Europe but also in the world". Also, Rui Moreira added that these phenomena and events are related to the extraordinary circumstances brought by the pandemic.

"Unforeseen circumstances do not hinder the merit of this congress", Rui Moreira highlighted and congratulated CITCEM - The Transdisciplinary Research Centre Culture, Space and Memory, the event organiser.

"We see the need to reflect on the past, the present and the future, and not in a purely historicist reading, but trying to assess the changes in the country, since the time of Revolution until the present day, and to envisage the paths for the future", Rui Moreira added, explaining that "the concern about the Portuguese Liberal Revolution very much stayed in Porto. And it is curious that it has been so; it is perhaps showing of a time we are living".

The Mayor of Porto furthered that "the Liberal Revolution and its values are not lost and they need rethinking and viewed carefully. Probably, this time we are living makes this reflection the more important. We live today, amid a pandemic, and can see the contradiction between individual freedom and collective liberties. This is something that this pandemic has brought up, due to the way it is being fought and the impacts it has had in several cultures", Rui Moreira explained.

But, according to Rui Moreira, this is not the only red flag "in this particularly complicated moment we are living. In Europe and behind this pandemic, we are living today phenomena such as Islam fascism, and populism and violence, often time anti- globalization, also associated to demagoguery, which some consider the failure of democratic capitalism. All these threats are present now, and bring new contradiction to light", the Mayor enhanced.

Hence, the importance of reflection about the value of freedom. "That is why this congress is greatly important to us, to the city, to the country and across-borders", Rui Moreira concluded.

The Mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira was the invited speaker in the opening ceremony of the congress "A Construção da(s) Liberdade(s)", together with the coordinator of CITCEM, Amélia Polónia, the director of the faculty of Arts of the University of Porto, Fernanda Ribeiro, and the rector of the University of Porto, António de Sousa Pereira.

The programme included two conferences; the first themed "Da liberdade: respirações", by Ana Luísa Amaral (Instituto de Literatura Comparada Margarida Losa/FLUP), and the second by Fernando Catroga (Faculty of Arts of the University of Coimbra), themed "A Revolução Vintista e o processo de constitucionalização da nova ideia de Nação".

This congress was due to happen in May last, and would have a three-day duration; however, owing to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the event took place on 5th November and took an online format. The contributions by the 60 invited speakers are gathered in a book that will be released next year.