José Gregório

Who was José Gregório?

José Gregório was a Portuguese glassmaker in Marinha Grande, a center of the glass industry in the country, a trade unionist and a member of the Portuguese Communist Party. He became notable for being one of the leaders of a major riot in his hometown against the dictatorial regime in 1934.

During the 1930s, the Party was the major force in the resistance against the dictatorial regime led by António de Oliveira Salazar. After the approval by the government of a law forbidding the free trade unions, several strikes and riots began all over the country. In Marinha Grande, the workers, in a riot led by the Gregório and other members of the Party, controlled the entire town. Only a massive intervention by the military ended the strike.

In 1938, Gregório was arrested by the PIDE, the political police, and was tortured for several times during his imprisonment. Released in 1940, Gregório had an important role in the reorganization of the Party in the early 1940s. In 1943, he became a member of the Party's secretariat and presented reports related to the Party's work among the trade unions in the 3rd and 4th congresses.

José Gregório died in 1961, after living more than 20 years clandestinely, due to the persecution of the political police.