What mobilizes us is the Azores and remains the Azores.In the beginning, the movement was primarily responsible for intimidation tactics, markedly hostile to groups or organizations counter to their own political sensibilities.

As the Portuguese communist party accumulated more power, fear of Portugal becoming a pro-Soviet puppet state started to grow and was nourished by the right-wing political movements.

Around the same time, the tumultuous transition to democracy (with its nationalization policies) became very unpopular among Azorean farmers and industrialists, mostly from São Miguel island who organized themselves to resist the "red danger".

José de Almeida attempted repeatedly to negotiate with the U.S. Department of State, in order to gauge support for Azorean independence in the administration.

[7] Rapidly, the protest degenerated and the crowd marched on the Palace of Conceição, to demand the resignation of Civil Governor António Borges Coutinho, with cries of "Viva a Independência" and "A FLA basta para o MFA" heard.

[8] Already, the movement had created a military wing, during a meeting in the Canaries, even as they had indicated their desire to abandon the armed struggle if Portugal followed the Grupo dos Nove.

[9] By 21 October, the FLA was denounced by their critics as acting with impunity on the islands of Terceira and São Miguel, with the support of civil and military authorities.

Autonomy was granted to the Azores and Madeira (where a similar organization existed) by the Constitution of 1976, cooling the explosive situation, and the communist threat slowly eroded.