Eskada nightclub in Porto says it has been damaged by incidents that occurred “outside the venue”

The group that owns the Eskada nightclub in Porto said this Thursday that it suffered damage as a result of incidents in public places that led to the closure of the establishment a month ago by the government, stressing that it cannot be held responsible for these events. .

In a statement published on its official Facebook page, the Eskada group said it was with “great pleasure” that it was reopening its doors on Saturday after “moments of sadness.”

The Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI) confirmed on Monday the reopening of the club after ordering the closure of the club on September 25 following a PSP report and communications from the Porto City Council.

The matter, as the MAI official source explained at the time, was about the municipality’s assessment of the maximum capacity of the premises, as well as a request to the National Office of Emergency Situations and Civil Protection (ANEPC) to clarify issues related to emergency situations. exits and mouths.-fire.

“It was ultimately determined that our establishment was damaged as a result of a series of incidents (about 14 over more than 10 years of operation), which overwhelmingly occurred outside the establishment and caused social anxiety,” Escada said in a statement today. .

According to the group, these incidents occurred in “a public space in which neither Eskada nor its employees can or should take any action.”

Stressing that the closure order was issued without “preliminary contact” with the group and without taking “any prior inspection measures” that could lead to “security breaches,” the Escada group emphasized “immediate and effective” contact with Porto Metropolitan -PSP Command, which “allowed us to demonstrate our commitment to the safety” of those who frequent the site.

“Following checks carried out by ANEPC, the PSP Metropolitan Command and the Porto City Council, as expected, it was concluded that there are no reasons to justify the further closure of Eskada Porto,” the text reads.

On Monday, Porto Mayor Rui Moreira, after learning of the nightclub’s opening announcement, expressed hope that MAI would protect the rights of residents when the nightclub opens with contactless policing.

“I hope that in the midst of all this, the peace of the residents will be guaranteed, and this can only be done with the help of contactless policing, since the Ministry of the Interior (MAI) understands that this should not be the case with a satisfied police work,” Rui Moreira stated this in on the sidelines of a private meeting with the manager.

However, Rui Moreira assured that the municipality will closely monitor whether the rights of residents will be guaranteed when opening nightclubs located on Rua da Alegria.

“I hope that this issue will also be considered, but just as closure was not our decision, reopening was not our decision,” he said.

When asked whether the municipality would enforce control over the opening hours of the establishment, Rui Moreira said yes, but stressed that the Escada problem “is not even a question of hours.”

“The problem is that there are people who are not allowed inside who decide to keep the club outside, and there are people who, when this is over, decide to continue the club outside,” he said.