MAY 23, 2025
** DEMOCRACY HEROES
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Hey guys! Welcome back to another edition of Democracy Heroes! Megan and I are loving all the incredible hero nominations coming in—keep them coming. While we’re still gathering your suggestions, this week we’re sharing the story of an unexpected hero whose small act sparked the symbol of an entire revolution. Enjoy!
** Celeste Caeiro
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Last month marked 51 years since the Carnation Revolution—an uprising that shattered decades of authoritarian rule under Portugal’s Estado Novo regime. Born from widespread discontent, the revolution ended years of strict censorship, political persecution, and the silencing of dissent through extrajudicial killings and disappearances. It was the Armed Forces Movement (Movimento das Forças Armadas, MFA) that ultimately galvanized the frustration of a nation and orchestrated the peaceful coup that toppled the regime. Amid this historic moment, one woman would become an unlikely icon of the revolution: Celeste Caeiro would be remembered not for political power or military leadership, but for a simple, symbolic act that captured the spirit of change.
** Background
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Caeiro had long carried a quiet but resolute spirit of resistance. In her early adulthood, while working at a tobacco shop, she secretly passed banned books to revolutionaries, concealing them beneath bags of tobacco. So when the MFA surrounded Lisbon to overthrow the dictatorship, it felt only natural for her to want to witness history unfolding firsthand.
The morning of April 25th, 1974, Celeste Caeiro headed to work as a cloakroom attendant at a bustling restaurant in the center of Lisbon. Her restaurant had been preparing for their first anniversary, where they had planned to hand out red and white carnations to patrons in celebration. However, this anniversary coincided with the MFA’s plans to usurp the dictator. Caeiro’s boss closed the restaurant, fearing potential unrest, sending her home with the carnations. Intrigued, Caerio travelled straight to central Lisbon’s Rossio square, where MFA tanks and infantry encircled the square, alerting residents that they were there to challenge the dictator.
** Flowers that Represented a Revolution…
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In Lisbon, she greeted the soldiers when one asked her for a cigarette. “For a few seconds, I thought about how I could make it up to that boy, fighting for us, on top of that car. He was there giving me something good and I had nothing to give him,” she told the Diário de Notícias earlier this year. She took a carnation from her bouquet and gave it to the soldier, who placed it in the barrel of his rifle. Armed with the rest of her bouquet, she continued to hand the flowers to the soldiers. Soon, local flower shops followed suit, until a sea of flowers adorned the guns and military equipment of the MFA.
That day, the Estado Novo dictatorship collapsed under pressure from the MFA. A transitional government, the National Salvation Junta, assumed power under General António de Spínola. A year later, the Junta gave way to the Revolutionary Council, paving the way for democracy. Alongside the fall of Franco in neighboring Spain, the Carnation Revolution marked the end of authoritarianism in Western Europe and became a lasting symbol for peaceful democratic movements around the world.
Celeste Caeiro passed away last year at the age of 91. Portugal’s military honored her with a tribute, saying that with “a simple gesture,” she became “the symbol of a movement that changed Portugal forever.” Just months before her death, she celebrated the revolution’s 50th anniversary beside her granddaughter, who placed a carnation in the barrel of a soldier’s rifle—just as her grandmother had five decades before.
** We want to hear from you!
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Have someone in mind? Reach out to Megan or Abigail with your submission!
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