Noisy but organized pro-animal demonstration passed Constitutional Court without incident

With whistles and shouts in unison, demanding “justice” but without incident and in a continuous and orderly stream, thousands of people marched this Saturday at the door of the Constitutional Court in protest against animal rights.

The closed gates of the Constitutional Court were guarded by ten agents from the Rapid Intervention Group of the Public Security Police (EIR), who limited themselves to observing the organized but very noisy passage of thousands of demonstrators challenging the possibility of passing the law. declares cruelty to animals unconstitutional.

Residents of Rua do Seculo and some tourists from local hotels went to the window to watch the demonstration going on, some looked surprised, but others, like two children at the window of the building opposite the court, took the opportunity to add their banners to the demonstrators holding sheets of A4 format with the inscription “Justice”.

The procession only had a short stop so that a delegation from the União Zoófila, which had a banner reading “Saving Lives Since 1951”, could stop in front of the TC door, also demanding justice.

The protest, which began shortly after 4 p.m. in the Place Marquis de Pombal, arrived at the Constitutional Court almost at dusk and should end when it arrives in Rossio.

The organization estimates the number of demonstrators at 70,000, while the PSP lists about 10,000 demonstrators.

The President of the Republic said this Saturday that animal welfare must be “duly legislated,” recalling that Parliament can do so either “through ordinary legislation” or through the ongoing constitutional review process.

In a note published on the official page of the President of the Republic under the heading “The President of the Republic defends respect for the welfare of animals”, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa states that “he has received several messages about the prohibition and punishment of cruelty to animals. “.

The Intervenção e Resgate Animal (IRA) organization is holding a demonstration this Saturday in Lisbon in defense of the criminalization of animal cruelty, after the prosecutor’s office declared the rule criminalizing this criminal liability unconstitutional.

The prosecutor’s office at the Constitutional Court demanded that the norm providing for criminal liability in the form of a fine or imprisonment for killing or cruelty to domestic animals without legal grounds be declared unconstitutional.

According to the note, the request for unconstitutionality arises after three decisions of the TC on this matter.