Opposition in the Lisbon Chamber denounces Moedas’ statements on immigration

The Lisbon City Council approved this Wednesday a “vote of concern” on the right to migrate, presented by BE and made possible by a vote of all opposition, condemning the statements of Executive President Carlos Moedas (PSD).

“Condemn the statements made by the president of CML [Câmara Municipal de Lisboa]where he intends to limit the right to migrate, linking it solely to job seeking, stating that persons in the process of migration can come to Portugal “only if they have an employment contract”, reads the bulletin, entitled “Lisbon says: immigrants are welcome !

In a closed session of the city council executive, the vote was made possible by votes against the PSD/CDS-PP leadership (seven elected) and votes for all opposition, namely PS (four), Cidadãos Por Lisboa (two councilors elected by the PS/Livre coalition), PCP (two), BE (one) and Livre (one).

The vote also condemns statements by Carlos Moedas in which the mayor defended the need to “create a contingent” in relation to what the country needs, referring to people in a situation of migration.

With the BE proposal backed by other opposition advisers, the Lisbon Chamber expresses “concern at the rise in hate speech and anti-immigration sentiment”.

The text also emphasizes that the chamber should “promote the implementation of sound municipal policies that guarantee the protection of human rights and the well-being of migrants living in Lisbon.”

At a meeting of the Lisbon Municipal Assembly on Tuesday, Social Democrat Carlos Moedas said he was not taking lessons “from anyone” on emigration and immigration, emphasizing his personal experience in this matter, and reaffirmed that Portugal needs a decent immigration policy.

“I was an expat, I am married to an immigrant, my father-in-law is Moroccan, my mother-in-law is Tunisian, so I would like to clarify something: I do not take lessons from anyone. in this matter from no one,” the PSD mayor said, stressing that he stressed that the immigrant communities are “welcome, they are residents of Lisbon” and that the municipality will fight “for them, but with dignity”.

In an interview with Público and Rádio Renascença published on Thursday, Carlos Moedas said that there is a “very serious problem of overcrowding” in housing that accepts immigrants in some areas of Lisbon, and argued for the need to include quotas in immigration policy and that immigrants should come to Portugal with labor contract.

In addition to the vote of concern, this Wednesday the Lisbon Chamber unanimously approved three votes of condolence presented by BE, Livre and Cidadãos Por Lisboa for the death of two people, immigrants of Indian ethnicity, in a fire that broke out on February 4 in a building on Rua do Terreirinho, in the Mouraria area.

The Executive Director also made possible a vote of regret proposed by the PSD/CDS-PP leadership, which was approved with BE abstaining and a vote for the rest, in which he refers to the fact that the fire in Muraria “started in a private house, with obvious overcrowding and lack of minimum living conditions, in complete violation of the current regulations”, recalling that 16 victims were registered, “among them two dead, one of which is a 14-year-old boy, who have already been discharged from the hospital”.

“The Lisbon City Council is firmly committed to cooperating within its powers and competencies with other municipal, state and public institutions to identify similar situations that endanger the safety and well-being of those who live and work in Lisbon.” , says the PSD/CDS-PP manual’s condolences.

In this context, PCP advisers stated that “the board’s intervention is not in line with what should be done, there is a lack of oversight and adequate use of licenses issued”, given that “the issue is housing, not immigration” and a survey regarding available information about housing overcrowding and building safety conditions.

At the suggestion of PCP and Livre, the executive branch also decided to express “deep regret” for the victims of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria that occurred in the early morning of February 6.