by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira
For some time, the TFP has faced strange provocations in Belo Horizonte. Sometimes, “toads” mimicking our local garden variety drove cars past our young men shouting communist-inspired insults. At other times, anonymous individuals threw stones late at night at the windows of some of our centers. Finally, unidentified young men, crossing paths with our young men on sidewalks, shouted insults and even threatened them with physical violence.
TFP’s brave Minas Gerais section responded to this unclear emergency with impressive wisdom.
It is well known that TFP young men are recognized nationwide for their courtesy in public campaign activities and daily life. Therefore, no personal complaints can explain so many incidents. The latter, seemingly from different sources, revealed a mutual connection because they formed a long and continuous series aimed at the same TFP target.
No one can doubt that leftist leanings influenced almost all of these events. In fact, only major ideological differences can spark a certain type of hatred. The TFP faced a wave of intense and relentless hatred. Which ideological group is so far from ours that it could provoke such hatred? Clearly, neither the center nor the right. Therefore, it must be the left.
What was the goal of those who, knowingly or unknowingly, incited these insults and provocations? Clearly, it was to provoke reactions from our youth. But one might ask, what benefit did TFP opponents gain from inciting such responses? The answer is simple. Cunning leftists in the press, radio, and television could then portray the TFP as the aggressor, turning public opinion against us. There is nothing the left wants more than this!
As a result, for the sake of our cause, the lucid leaders of TFP’s Minas Gerais chapter asked our young men to subject themselves to “Chinese torture” by never responding to any insult, even if it meant being seen as cowards, so as not to play into the hands of our adversaries. And so it was done. Over time, our heroic young men gave not even the slightest response to the insults received.
Naturally, our enemies’ boldness grew and eventually became nearly unlimited. On September 3, anonymous attackers again confronted our young men outside Belo Horizonte’s cathedral, but they had to retreat after a brief clash.
The next day, at the same time and place, as about twenty TFP volunteers left the cathedral, their previous day’s aggressors reappeared in larger numbers—roughly twenty again—and shouted at our people from a distance. The TFP members stood silently on the cathedral’s steps. Passersby watched closely. The TFP members did not respond or move as the unknown individuals reached the foot of the steps, shouting loudly. Eventually, they started a physical attack. At that moment, the TFP youth defended themselves and fought back strongly, causing the attackers to disperse as fast as possible. Despite their speed, two attackers were caught by our people and handed over to the police, who arrived just as the fight was over.
* * *
Some newspapers in Belo Horizonte reported the incident. A morning paper columnist, hostile to the TFP, acknowledged our young men’s two victories while seemingly encouraging his runaway colleagues to retaliate.
Then, a young TFP volunteer and engineering student, Pericles Capanema Ferreira e Melo, wrote this beautiful letter to the journalist:
Mr. José Maurício: On September 6, 1969, I read your comment in the Diário de Minas newspaper about the two incidents involving TFP volunteers and young people who attacked them as they left the Boa Viagem Cathedral.
I will not analyze other parts of your article, but I kindly ask you to publish a clarification on this point: Although we, TFP volunteers, defeated the attackers twice, we do not see these episodes as a victory to boast about or as an invitation for the other party to retaliate.
We neither despise nor provoke anyone. Nor do we ever start any attack. However, we naturally defend ourselves strongly when attacked.
That said, we prefer to forget such episodes and focus on the toils of daily life, because our only goal is to uphold tradition, family, and property within the bounds of legality and peace.
I am sure I am expressing the feelings of all my fellow idealists.
Thank you in advance for publishing this letter.
Sincerely, Pericles Capanema Ferreira e Melo, Fourth-year Engineering Student at UFMG.