On Tuesday, the President of the Republic calls for participation and dialogue on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, calling on the Portuguese to fight prejudice and focus on what unites people.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa makes this appeal in a message published on the official website of the President of the Republic on the Internet.
On this International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the President of the Republic calls for “unity around a more inclusive and less unjust Portugal, where the opportunity for a life of dignity and fulfillment can be available to all, regardless of their ethnicity and their background.”
“In times of challenge – from the recent pandemic to the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its impact on everyone’s daily lives – let’s not let prejudice and mistrust replace friendship, open dialogue and good neighborliness.” – asks the head of state.
“Let’s focus on what unites us. May the country we leave to future generations be fairer in terms of diversity than the one in which we were born,” adds Marcelo Rebelo de Souza.
The United Nations (UN) has designated 21 March as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in connection with the Sharpeville massacre in South Africa.
On March 21, 1960, in Sharpeville, South African police opened fire and killed 69 people during a peaceful demonstration against the apartheid regime’s racial segregation law.