The evening of August 10 was marked by a vigorous celebration of the 15 years of the newspaper A Nova Democracia, held at the Brazilian Press Association (ABI), in the Center of Rio de Janeiro.

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At the moment the newspaper completes 15 years, we affirm that we have successfully fulfilled the tasks outlined in our Editorial Line, a safe guide which provides orientation to us. Since the first edition of the AND, published in August 2002, we have fought the hard fight for establishing ourselves and developing ourselves as a popular tribune in the service of the mass struggle.

The event, which filled the auditorium on the 7th floor, was attended by youth combatants, teachers, favela dwellers, workers, youth, leaders and activists of democratic and revolutionary people’s organizations, who welcomed the AND for its 15 years of resistance as an entity of the Popular and Democratic Press.

The event was opened with the screening of the film Terra e Sangue – Bastidores do Massacre de Pau D’Arco (and and Blood – Backstages of the Pau D’Arco Massacre), produced by AND. Then the cultural performances of the evening began. We had Sergival, who presented the forró with the accordionist Nizo Jeremias and Jardiel Guerra in the triangle; The singer Catarina Crystal; The theater group No Palco da Vida (On the Stage of Life), from the neighborhood of Ramos; The musician Scott Fraga in his bagpipe; The singer and composer Tantinho da Mangueira, author of several famous sambas, also with partnership of Cartola; The rappers Mano Rip and Rapper Operante; And the popular group Casa Norte.

Commemorative articles produced especially for the 15 years of AND were sold on a crowded stool that shared space with a beautiful exhibition of photographs by photojournalist Ellan Lustosa.

WARM GREETINGS

After the first presentations, a table consisted of members of the editorial board of the newspaper.

In its speech, AND General Director Fausto Arruda pointed out that in our last edition (No. 193), we republished the first edition editorial, released in July 2002, because the analysis of the political situation exposed at that time, the result of an effort to elaborate our Editorial Line, has always proved correct, being confirmed every day by the revolutionary situation in development of our country and by the international political situation.

Since its beginning, The New Democracy has always kept its independence as a mouthpiece for the struggles of the masses of the countryside and the city, in our country, in the other semicolonies and even in the imperialist countries. It fought hard with the electoral opportunism that found its peak with the election of Luiz Inacio, affirming that Election is farce and that only a Revolution of New Democracy with the accomplishment of its program can deliver to the people what is their by right. Since the first edition, he has been reporting on the resistance struggles of the peoples against imperialist aggression and analyzing, with scientific rigor, national and international political situations.

Where the people resist, this struggle finds its echo in the pages of AND: in the favelas, where the people face the massacre practiced by the police against black and poor youth; In the countryside, where the peasant masses continue to tread the path of the Agrarian Revolution; In factories and construction sites, where the working class and workers in general face the criminal attacks of Temer management; In the streets of big cities, where the combative youth faces repression; In the imperialist countries, where the immigrant and proletarian masses rise up against the reactionary governments and the wars of aggression driven by them; In the semicolonies that wage struggles of national liberation, where the masses rise in a furious sea against the wars of prey carried out by the imperialists; In the countries where the masses, led by authentic communist parties, rise in People’s Wars that aim at the Democratic, Agrarian and Anti-imperialist Revolution.

The microphone was shared for greetings, which were warmly welcomed by representatives of the ABI, the Brazilian Center for Solidarity with Peoples (Cebraspo), the Workers’ League, the League of Poor Peasants (LCP) and the Revolutionary Front for the Defense of Rights Of the People (FRDDP). Also a message sent by the people’s lawyer, Dr. Marino D’Icarahy was read.

The representative of the LCPs National Commission extolled the resistance of the peasant masses and their increasing willingness to fight for land and for the end of the latifundia in Pará, Rondônia and throughout the country.

The representative of the Revolutionary Front extolled the importance of AND as a mouthpiece of the New Democracy Revolution that unfolds in the countryside and in the city, with the United Revolutionary Front, on the road to true liberation of our people. And he said: “We can no longer accept crumbs from this false left who has been for almost 15 years managing the old Brazilian state. What do we have today? 50,000 murdered per year in this country: how many are poor? How many are black? How many live in the favelas? How many live in the country? The vast majority. We have 700,000 incarcerated, 4 million peasant families without a single tiny piece of land. Those who promise us that everything can be solved by casting a vote, exhorting the big bourgeoisie, the latifundia, imperialism, these are not only deceived, they are our enemies, because we must say that the people can not and should not be satisfied with crumbs. Because all wealth is the fruit of our work, so nothing more just, more necessary, more pressing than demanding everything! And everything is but Power! “

IN HONOR

José Moreira Chumbinho, the first director and formulator of the newspaper’s Editorial Line, who died on July 19, was honored with a warm greeting from the editor-in-chief of AND, Mário Lúcio de Paula.

A fine tribute was given to comrade Alípio de Freitas, an internationalist combatant, founder of the Peasant Leagues and member of the Editorial Board of AND, who died last June. A letter was read from the AND Writing in honor of Alípio, and then musician Scott Fraga performed the Portuguese revolutionary song Grândola, Vila Morena, in his bagpipes.

The unforgettable memory of comrade Sandra Lima was invoked with her invaluable collaboration for the AND and the revolutionary struggle in the country and in the world. On 27/07 has completed 1 year of her death.

Other valuable supporters and collaborators of the newspaper, indispensable to the history of the Popular and Democratic Press of our country, were remembered and honored: Helio Silva, veteran communist militant, former political prisoner and great supporter of the AND, died on July 23 of this year ; The comrade Dirma, tireless propagandist of AND and people’s fighter; Professor Adriano Benayon, member of the Editorial Board of AND; And comrade Absalão, an active agitator of the newspaper.

ADVANCING WITH THE MASSES STRUGGLE

The celebration of the 15 years of AND was a lively and combative expression of the righteousness of our struggle for a new politics, a new culture and a new economy, the foundation of the democratic-revolutionary program expressed in our Editorial Line.

We feel refreshed and confident as we celebrate our first 15 years of journey with those who make and are the reason for our existence, resistance and struggle: peasants, workers, students, pedlars, artists, democratic intelligentsia, men and women of our people who have gathered To greet AND.

Our most effusive greetings from New Democracy to all.

In our 15 years, we reaffirm our commitment to completely serve the struggle of the masses and the much needed and urgent task of the New Democracy Revolution uninterrupted to socialism in our country!