Azorean Liberation Front
The Azorean Liberation Front , abbreviated to FLA (from Portuguese Frente de Libertação dos Açores , the abbreviation as a word and not pronounced in single letters) was a right-wing extremist paramilitary group founded in 1975 that wanted to enforce the independence of the Azores . It broke up in the late 1970s.
It was founded by the member of the Portuguese Parliament José de Almeida on April 8, 1975 in London. His model was the Liberation Front of the neighboring island of Madeira (FLAMA). The FLA fell into a power vacuum after the Carnation Revolution in 1974, which led to a socialist government in Portugal in 1976. With the establishment of the Autonomous Region of the Azores in 1976, the FLA lost its influence. Historians agree that the FLA's pressure on the Portuguese government led to autonomy, even though it required far more, namely a completely separate state.
The FLA had the backing of many farmers who feared a socialist government could regulate and expropriate them. José de Almeida approached the US government several times to support him in a right-wing coup by the Azorean regional government, but this did not meet with any interest.
Two years after the independence of the Azores, actions by the FLA intimidated mainstream politicians, such as Portuguese Deputy Prime Minister Antionio Almeida dos Santos. When the politician got off the plane in Ponta Delgada on April 15, 1978 , FLA supporters beat him. They then used tractors to prevent him from driving his car to the office of the Socialist Party. His companions also came under massive pressure, so the decision was made to move to the Azores island of Santa Maria .
The FLA founder died on December 1, 2014 in his hometown of Ponta Delgada.
Individual evidence
- ^ Sabrina Coutinho Furtado: Curiosidade: Frente de Libertação dos Açores . A Torre do Desassossego 2009
- ↑ José de Almeida: The leader of the Azorean Liberation Front has died - Azores - Portuguese American Journal. Retrieved September 19, 2018 .