Generous Albion? Portuguese anti-Salazarists in the United Kingdom, c. 1960-74

In the 1960s and 1970s, the search for greater personal freedom and economic well-being, as well as the unwillingness to perform military service in Africa, were some of the major factors behind the great wave of Portuguese emigration to Western Europe. Although the United Kingdom was not among the main destinations for Portuguese economic migrants, it became an important haven for political dissidents and cultural expatriates. A tradition of laissez-faire policies towards political emigres, and the cosmopolitan atmosphere of a city such as London, were some of the reasons that help explain the expatriation of many young Portuguese of anti-fascist inclinations to the United Kingdom. Relying on archival materials and a selection of oral testimonies, this article traces the activities of this anti-Salazarist community in the United Kingdom and tries to place it in the context of the politics of the Portuguese opposition to the Estado Novo throughout the 1960s and 1970s.