Dear Comrades and friends,

On behalf of the National Direction of JCP, I salute everyone present in this rally! It is proof that even with the arrival of Autumn, with rain and naked trees, with cold and gray days, the youth is present! To all who have come from all parts of the country, to all friends and guests who were willing to participate in this initiative we say: No cold, no rain and no gray days can make us stop the struggle for Spring!
We Salute the international delegates who were present at the 18th Assembly of World Federation of Democratic Youth, who have made it a great Assembly and who came out of it stronger and with better tools to struggle against Imperialism and change the world in each of their countries. We particularly salute the organizations that were elected for the direction of WFDY, with a highlight to the comrades of UJC of Cuba that assume the General Secretary and the comrades of Cyprus who assume the Presidency. We wish all the continuation of good work, and we are certain that the Assembly has given a great step to, as it is stated on the Assembly's motto: Reinforce WFDY, Intensify the anti-imperialist struggle, for a world of peace, solidarity and revolutionary social transformation!"

The 18th WFDY Assembly is the final moment of eight years of presidency, which we assumed with great honor. By hosting this Assembly in Portugal, we are also willing to reaffirm our total commitment to the continuity of WFDY's work and with Anti-Imperialist struggle. We believe that the best contribute we can give to the development of WFDY's work and progress is: the mobilization of portuguese youth for the struggle against right-winged policies and for the materialization of their rights here in Portugal; the solidarity with all the struggling youth as well as the participation and development of WFDY activities.

In a moment when the danger of new imperialist aggressions rises, when all around the world war, hunger and right withdrawal is spread, but also in a moment when resistance and struggle increases, we find in WFDY the greatest most important space to exchange experiences and to articulate and stimulate youth resistance and struggle in each country.

Comrades,
Last Thursday we celebrated the 32 years of Portuguese Communist Youth. Since the unification between the Communist Students Union and the Communist Youth Union, JCP assumes itself as The Revolutionary Organization of the Portuguese Youth. We are Revolutionary because we are deeply aware and we acknowledge youth problems today, because we are the only ones who are truly willing to do anything to solve these problems, because the basis of our intervention is Marxism-Leninism, which allows us to define the struggle aims according to the historical moment that we are living. We are Revolutionary because we are proud that every day we stimulate, mobilize, and encourage struggle, bringing more and more friends, organizing them and showing the way. But above all we are Revolutionary because we know we are not alone, because we put all our trust in the Portuguese Youth, sure that it will assume the struggle against right-winged policies and the imposition of a patriotic and and left-winged policy as its own.

From here, we call upon the portuguese youth to organize and intensify struggle! A struggle that is increasingly difficult as increasingly strong the attacks from the government are: by PSD / CDS – PP, with support from PS and the President of the Republic.
From education to work, from housing to health and culture, we witness an unprecedented attack to our rights, that in many ways reminds us of times past. It happens in José Afonso High School in Seixal, where students cannot take food inside the school. It happens in the University of Minho, where, while having fees of thousands of euros, students are forbidden to demonstrate. It happens in the ZON call center in Porto, where over 90% of workers have a precarious labour link even though they perform a permanent job. This is an attack that brings us the darkest days the most part of us here present have ever witnessed and that in any way has a solution for the problems of our country: it takes it from the frying pan into the fryer. An attack that has in workers and youth its major enemies, while great company holders and great bank owners are getting richer, while the successive governments (PSD, CDS – PP e PS) are totally submitted to the interests of imperialism. They opened the doors of our economy to the IMF and the European Union, they happily host NATO summits (our country being a founding member during fascist times) and they actively participate in their military aggressions to Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.

From here we state our solidarity with the General Strike next 24th November, called by CGTP-IN, as well as the National Superior and High school students' struggles, on 22 and 29 November, respectively. We also value the hundreds of struggle initiatives that took place in the let week of October, as well as the great demonstration of the Public Administration workers that took place here in Lisbon today and where ??? of workers, many of which young workers, participated.
This is the only way to defeat the aggression pact designed by the portuguese and the foreign Troika, and this will be the only way to defeat imperialism.

It is possible to defeat these policies, it is possible to build an alternative, it is possible and necessary to hold back this path! Let us end with strength, determination and the trust in portuguese youth, to take in our hands the destiny of our lives!
Long live the World Federation of Democratic Youth!
Long live the Portuguese Communist Youth!
Long live the Portuguese Communist Party!