About 300 people attended this afternoon at the Quartel do Carmo, in Lisbon, coming from schools in Aveiro, Coimbra, Palmela, Tocha or Marinha Grande, among others, to hear namely the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Colonel Vasco Lourenço, from the 25th of April Association, and photographer Alfredo Cunha, who photographed the revolution in Lisbon, 50 years ago.

And also to ask questions, with some of them explaining to Lusa what they know about the 25th of April and how they live it today, born more than 30 years after the so-called Carnation Revolution.

Maura Almeida, 19, a student at the Álvares Cabral external school, Lisbon, heard about the date while still in Angola, where she was born, but admitted that she only began to understand and value it in Portugal, in history classes.

Only then, she says, did she realize the connection between the revolution and her country's independence.

In Portugal for three years, Miriam, 18, is half Spanish. Since she was young, she heard about the 25th of April through her mother, but only at school did she realize the importance of the country moving from a dictatorship to "being something as it should be". And she regrets that perhaps many young people know the date, but do not know the story behind it, the reason why it is celebrated after 50 years.

Daniel Gaspar, 19, has the same idea, which is why he argues that "schools should address the subject a little more", so that all young people have an idea of what the 25th of April is. It is, he told Lusa, "a subject that should be remembered", because freedom is something that many people still fight for today.

During the more than two hours of speeches, questions and answers, there was talk of freedom and democracy, of the New State, episodes of the 25th of April were recounted, some documented with photographs by Alfredo Cunha, who explained them.

João Pedro, 17, and António Pinho, 18, arrived from Aveiro. Both value the date that brought them to Lisbon, both believe that most young people do too.

"For me, the 25th of April is perhaps the most important date of each year. It is a celebration that gives me particular pleasure to experience, as a democrat and as a citizen of Portugal".

João Pedro spoke of his grandfather, who was in the colonial war, speaks of the "horrors of the New State", guarantees that young people have a duty to fight to preserve democracy, freedom and peace, and assures that it is important to "include young people in the democratic process".

Today's young people, who have not known repressive regimes or the struggles against them, may be more easily swayed by far-right phenomena than someone who has experienced the previous dictatorial regime.

António Pinho added: "there is an idea of democracy as something acquired, and we often undervalue the achievements that the 25th of April brought us".

Some wearing T-shirts from their respective schools, others with green or red caps offered by the organization, a blue pencil and a blank card, the young people showed that they knew what they were talking about in the questions they left to Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Vasco Lourenço.

The ceremony was also attended by the Minister of Education, Fernando Alexandre, the Minister of Youth, Margarida Balseiro Lopes, and the Executive Commissioner of the Commemorative Commission of the 50th Anniversary of the 25th of April, Maria Inácia Rezola.

Fernando Alexandre regretted that for decades 15-year-olds were allowed to leave school "to go and work in factories", and regretted that the New State did not realize the importance of Education. Vasco Lourenço would later say that Salazar knew very well the importance of Education and that he did not invest in it on purpose.

In response to a question from the young people, the colonel warned about the danger of the rise of the far right, stating that "it should not cross anyone's mind that a far-right party, if it comes to power, will improve the National Health Service".

Today's ceremony unveiled the collaborative digital mural that resulted from the campaign "my freedom is everyone's", a project by the Commission for young people to transform the blue pencil of censorship as a symbol of freedom of expression.

Read Also: 25th of April. Democracy and colonial past central to Marcelo's speeches (Portuguese version)