The musicians are calling for a demonstration, demanding the “immediate opening” of the stop in Porto.

Musicians and shopkeepers at the Stop Mall called for a rally in front of Porto City Hall for Monday to demand an “immediate reopening” of the space, where hundreds of shops were closed on Tuesday, as announced this Friday.

In a statement, the musicians and store owners say their mission is to “continue to keep The Stop open,” a space where the various factions have been used as rehearsal rooms or studios for over 20 years.

“The mission of Stop musicians and store owners is to continue to keep this symbolic and organic space open to all people who want to enjoy it, creating sustainable foundations for maintaining an environment conducive to the development of cultural activities, while not denying intervention in the space that guarantees minimum safety conditions in the building,” they say.

On Tuesday, more than a hundred stores in the Stop shopping center were sealed off by the municipal police “due to a lack of operating licenses,” the Porto City Council justified.

To demand the “immediate opening” of the 105 enclosed spaces, the musicians called a demonstration for Monday, the day of the municipal executive’s meeting.

The musicians will gather at 15:00 in front of the Porto City Hall, and at 19:30 they will march to the Stop shopping center.

“We are fighting to preserve culture in the city of Porto,” they add.

As an alternative to the mall, the Porto City Council has presented two solutions: the Pires de Lima school and the upper floors of Silo Auto.

For musicians, both spaces “do not have the facilities to accommodate the entire Stop community”, not seeing them as a solution for their move.

“Shopkeepers and musicians have lost their jobs and must immediately return to the Stop while other options are being explored for a possible move to another location, and it is important to remember that they must consider the accommodation of everyone without exception,” they say.

The musicians also argue that the reclassification of Stop is “not only the best option, but everyone’s will,” adding that some of the arguments used by the municipality to close stores, such as safety conditions, noise, and store licensing, “are easy to refute.”

“The premises are under round-the-clock surveillance. Regarding the alleged noise, the musicians, whose shops are located on the front of the building, took measures to soundproof the premises, strictly observing the hours allowed by the noise law. As far as security conditions are concerned, several inquiries have been submitted to the CMP over the years. [Câmara Municipal do Porto]in order to re-qualify the space, which was never implemented,” they add.

On Thursday, two associations representing musicians met with the mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira, to discuss solutions and clarify doubts. Representatives will meet again today with Rui Moreira and the Economic Adviser.

Also in a statement by the Sociedade Portuguesa de Autores (SPA) this Friday, it is in solidarity with the demands of the Stop artists and is confident that the municipality of Porto, “whose president has always been sensitive to cultural issues, knows how to find a fair and adequate response.”