Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Jaime Rebelo, a Portuguese Anarchist


Jaime Rebelo (1900 - 1975) was a militant Portuguese anarchist and antifascist.
Jaime Rebelo lived most of his life in Cacilhas. Rebelo was active in both Portugal and Spain in the anti-fascist struggle. He was imprisoned (and tortured) by the dictatorship of the Estado Novo.
In 1931 , following the "strike of 92 days," Rebelo was arrested and tortured by the PIDE, having cut out his tongue to stop him speaking.
The victim of constant persecution, he emigrated to Spain where he joined the militias of the CNT (National Confederation of Labour), the anarcho-syndicalist workers' confederation, and then lead a unit that fought on the southern front in the Spanish Civil War.

7 comments:

  1. Hi,

    It`s an astonishing thing to discover a reference to an (almost) forgotten hero of the portuguese "anarco-sindicalista/anarquist-unionist" underground resistance movement against the portuguese fascist dictatorship of Salazar. To show the character of this remarkable man, just a small correction: under brutal torture by PIDE, it was Jainme, himself, that cut off his own tongue to avoid denouncing his comrades!
    Forced to leave his country, after having fought in Spain and having fled to France he eventually returned to his native Portugal and lived to see the fall of the dictatorship and the rise of democracy with the 1974 April 25th revolution. At 74 years of age, he participated actively in the ensuing revolutionary process, having reinstated a popular based mutual help association (Casa dos Pescadores/House of the Fishermen) and colaborating both in libertatian movements (Movimento Libertário Português/Portuguese Libertarian Movement) and anarquist inspired newspapers(A Batalha/The Battle and A Voz Anarquista/The Voice of the Anarquist). This remarkable man died on January 7th 1975.
    As a useful link: http://colectivolibertarioevora.wordpress.com/2012/12/18/memoria-libertaria-jaime-rebelo/
    Thank you so much for this post and for the memory it evokes.

    Best regards from the opposite side of the planet (Portugal),

    Pedro Garcia Marques (p.marques@fd.lisboa.ucp.pt)

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    Replies
    1. Dear Pedro,

      Thank you for your very informative comments. Much appreciated!

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    2. Just forgot to mention one small but relevant detail: Jaime Rebelo cut off his tongue with his own teeth.

      Love your blog and your south pacific site. Your blog in particular, is not only extremely beautiful and culturally enriching, but it is also truly universal. Quite remarkable.

      Jaime Rebelo appears on the selected photo and artwork with a beret. Also called in portuguese as "bóina" it is still a popular feature througout the portuguese countryside and coastal fishing towns, preferred among the most humble country workers (camponeses)and fishermen (pescadores)for its practicability, resistance and effective protection against the elements. Also common (until quite recently)among artists and writers, principally those engaged in the neo-realist artistic and literay movement. If (and when)I find material on what is also very much a portuguese tradition I will be glad to send you.
      Best regards,
      Pedro

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    3. Dear Pedro,

      I would love to see more material on beret wearers and tradition in Portugal. Somehow, I find it hard to trace material from your country, while I know that the beret has a long history in Portugal too. Any suggestions, material would be much appreciated!

      Thank you for your additional comments on Jaime Rebelo.

      Best regards,

      Daan

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  2. My father Manuel Silva was a great friend of Jaime Rebelo and was very active with him back in the day. He came to South Africa and stayed with us in about 1958. Some where I have a photo of them together in the garden. I was later to meet him on my first visit to Portugal and his charming wife. I also met with his family in Palmela. This must have been just before he died. A remarkable man.

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  3. My father wore a beret most of the time here.

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