Francisco Louçã
Biography
Francisco Anacleto Louçã was born in Lisbon on November 12, 1956, into an oppositionist family. His maternal grandfather, Alberto das Neves, was an anarcho-syndicalist and founder of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP). He attended Padre António Vieira High School and, as an exceptional student, completed high school with an average of 18. He became involved in student struggles and political activity from an early age, being suspended for a 14-day suspension for going on strike. At the age of 16, he was arrested by the PIDE/DGS (National Security Council) on January 1, 1972, after participating in a peace vigil and protest against the colonial war at the Rato Chapel in Lisbon. He was taken to Caxias and released two days later.
At the end of 1973, he joined the Internationalist Communist League (LCI) and later became a leader of the Revolutionary Socialist Party (PSR).
He completed his undergraduate degree in Economics with a 17-point average from the Higher Institute of Economics, now the Higher Institute of Economics and Management (ISEG), where he became a Full Professor. In 1999, he co-founded the Left Bloc. He was the party’s coordinator, a member of the National Assembly, and a candidate in the 2006 presidential election. With a distinguished academic and teaching career, he has taught at universities in numerous countries and is the author of important literature in the field of economics, as well as political essays, maintaining a consistent civic and political involvement.
Date of Collection: 10.10.2018
Keywords: Students, Colonial War, Communist Internationalist League (LCI), Case of the Rato Chapel, Progressive Catholics, Prison, Caxias, Family, Student Movements, Solidarity, Teaching, Clandestine Press, April 25th.
