Reporting from Lisbon

Is it too late?

It is Sunday morning, and frankly, I am pooped. The bus ride to Sete Rios was uneventful, and I had enough on our rechargeable “Navegante” cards to use the Metro.¹ We enjoyed lunch at the Beer Museum while waiting for the rally to begin.²

Happy to Report

I am pleased to report that the crowd in Lisbon was at least three times larger than when I participated in the Hands Off rally in April. The event was put together by AMPT UP (Americans in Portugal United in Protest), and Democrats Abroad was there to help people register to vote.

There were 3 Trump supporters at the event. They asked that I not photograph them.

If you want to see more photos, visit this page.

Based on the reporting I have seen, it appears the London crowd grew as well. As did crowds in Berlin, Madrid, Paris, etc.

From BBC News.

And Meanwhile in America…

I am relieved to report that it appears millions peacefully gathered in over 2500 cities and towns in the US. It is estimated that 7 million participated stateside. Friends in US towns report larger crowds than in April or June.

The crowd was much bigger than the last time. Great signs! Great enthusiasm! Very few from the other side. Just a couple big Trump trucks driving by. — Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

The rally in The Villages, Florida was at least 30% larger and more passerbys in cars showed support than a non-supportive hand gesture. — The Villages,
Florida.

The Democratic party in Lewiston, ID partnered with the one in Clarkston, Washington again this time. Nearly 1000 people participated and there was less “coal rolling”³ this time. — Clarkston, Washington

Meanwhile, SNL provided a snapshot of this week’s news…

3.5% Rule

If, like me, you are concerned about the future of the US, you have likely heard of the 3.5% rule. Eric Chenoweth's research showed that nonviolent protests are twice as likely to succeed as armed conflicts – and those engaging a threshold of 3.5% of the population have never failed to bring about change. At first, hearing about her research was a source of hope for me. Though if we applied this number to the US, we would need 12 million to “show up”. However, as I dug further, I found this caution:

Chenoweth has noticed that both nonviolent and armed resistance have been decreasing in efficacy since 2010, concluding that this is the result of authoritarian regimes learning from history, coordinating with one another, and training their armies and police to discourage defections within their ranks. Consequently, Chenoweth has advised that civil resistance movements take these changes into account and alter their tactics accordingly. - Harvard Magazine

The Vice President tells us to “get over” “boys” (actual ages 22-40) who share racist and anti-semetic posts, and the Administration creates this AI-generated video post. I fear we have passed the point of no return..

Desculpe, preciso de tempo… Espero voltar ao normal na próxima semana…

Nanc

1. Denise was at a golf tournament in Spain, but I did not travel alone. An American who arrived in VRSA from Las Vegas within the last year joined me. Thanks Toni!

2. Note to self: Check the route the bus is taking before selecting. The FlixBus schedule didn’t work for us, so we took RedeExpress. Typically, a very good choice. However, I purchased the tickets based on the time without looking at the route. I assumed (and we all know what they say about people who assume) that we would take the highway to Faro, make a few stops in Algarve, and end in VRSA. NOPE! This time, we stopped in Almada, Setúbal, Ferreira de Alentejo, Beja, Mértola, Balurcos, and Odeleite. 5+ hours later…

3. My on-the-scene reporter acted as a “safety officer”, complete with a yellow vest. He explained to me that “coal rolling” is when a truck revs its engine to expel exhaust. Fortunately, a police officer was present and pulled the speeding offender over to the cheers of the rally participants.