On Tuesday, lawyer Ana Rita Gil called for tougher penalties for those responsible for attacks on immigrants in Porto, criticizing the republic’s attorney general’s link between immigration and crime.
“It is really necessary to punish these actions, and also to punish the exacerbations associated with xenophobic hatred, if this is indeed the case,” Professor of Lisbon Public Law (Centre for Public Law Studies at the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon) and migration specialist.
According to the researcher, “punishing just behavior and punishing behavior, especially when done with reprehensible intent, are different things” because “this is the only way to send a message that they will not be tolerated in a democratic society that does not adhere to these values.”
According to the lawyer, “the problem was also to avoid talking about immigration in the country for so long, imposing a single discourse,” since “integration also depends on the host society that prepares it.”
Today in Portugal, “there is no longer any need to be ashamed, it is now possible to speak publicly and be xenophobic, which means there is a normalization” of speech.
Ana Rita Gil criticized the statements of the Attorney General of the Republic, who on Monday acknowledged “great concerns” about the “increasing entry into the territory of the country of young people unaccompanied by their families” who are “displaced from their homes, undocumented, of different origins and origins.”
“I see a normalization at the highest level of simplistic speech that creates a dangerous link between immigration and crime,” the researcher said, classifying Lucilia Gago’s statement as “particularly serious, coming from the highest authority responsible for the judicial system responsible for investigating crimes.” . in Portugal”.
Early on Friday morning, there were three attacks on immigrants in the Campo 24 de Agosto area, Rua do Bonfim and Rua Fernandez Tomás in Porto.
The researcher believes that these crimes “may have an encouraging reason for the rise of far-right speech in Portugal.
In his view, “the immigration debate has never been driven by moderates and, again, it has been taken over by extremist populism, which always carries a message of hidden violence,” so what? suspicions are now coming to the surface because these fears are beginning to be confirmed in the public space.”
In response to Luse, the Office of the Deputy Secretary of State of the President said that the government was preparing reform in the sector.
“After meeting with certain organizations, the President’s Minister will present to the Council of Ministers an action plan on migration that will address the difficult legacy of ‘past political incompetence’ and provide a system that combines effective control with dignified and humanistic integration.” – said the guardianship, confirming that these “meetings took place.”
According to PSP, the attacks were carried out by multiple groups and five immigrants were taken to hospital due to their injuries.
Following the attacks, six men were identified and one was arrested for illegal weapons possession.
Given the suspicion of a hate crime, the judicial police began to investigate the case.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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