Chegi President André Ventura promised this Saturday that if he gets to government, he will cut all subsidies to associations that promote “gender ideologies and gender equality.”
In his first appearance at the Sixth National Congress of Chega, which runs until Sunday in Viana do Castelo, Ventura once again emerged as a radical and focused group promoting gender equality, winning the support of an audience that gave him a standing ovation.
“I guarantee you one thing: all the money we give to gender ideologies and to promoting gender equality. […]”I’ll take all these millions and tell the associations, ‘Forget it, you won’t get a penny,'” he said, acknowledging that his claims could be considered controversial.
President Chegi said about €400 million was at stake and promised to use that amount, if he had government responsibilities, to create a “support fund” for security forces and ex-combatants.
After criticizing immigration, the Roma population and subsidies throughout the party’s history, Andre Ventura added issues of gender ideology to his Saturday speech, which some leaders gave at a meeting in Viana do Castelo as they discussed the issue of mixed bathrooms rooms.
Although he has recently tried to project an image of moderation in his speech and even said on Friday that “Chega must stop being a party that is a voice of protest,” the party president has again turned to controversial topics.
In his first speech at the main session, Ventura once again criticized the funding of 34 million euros to restore and equip the fortress of São Francisco do Penedo in Angola to install a museum.
The repeat candidate believed that the issue “glorified the history of the colonial struggle against Portuguese soldiers and Portuguese families” and pledged, if he joined the next government, “to immediately prevent this transition on the first day.”
“They are traitors, because those who give money to those who killed the Portuguese people and Portuguese blood have no other name than traitors to our history, our memory and our homeland,” he criticized.
Andre Ventura also stated that this congress is “much bigger” than the PS congress, despite the fact that Chegi had a thousand delegates (out of 750 elected and permanent) and the Socialists elected 1,400 to the main meeting last weekend.
The second day of the 6th Chega National Convention began at 10:30 with the presentation of some thematic proposals, followed by Andre Ventura’s speech, which lasted more than 40 minutes, despite the fact that the program allowed for 10 minutes.
After intervention by the leader, work was suspended for lunch and is due to resume more than two hours later at 2:30 p.m.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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