Lisbon City Council prevents anti-immigration demonstration

The Lisbon City Council will not authorize the demonstration “Against the Islamization of Europe”, organized by groups linked to the far right, planned for February 3, a source in the municipality told Lusa this Friday.

“The Lisbon City Council does not authorize the demonstration planned for February 3, which was to cover several streets in Mouraria,” the same source said.

The decision is based on the opinion of the PSP, which “clearly highlights the high risk of serious and effective disruption of public order and peace.”

On Wednesday, the municipality approved a vote against a street action organized by a neo-Nazi group near Martim Moniz condemning “any and all manifestations of a violent, racist or xenophobic nature in the city.”

The vote against the demonstration organized by “extreme right-wing movements” planned for February 3 in the Martim Moniz district, on the proposal of councilors from the Cidadaos for Lisbon (CPL) and the Bloco de Esquerda (BE), was approved unanimously by the municipal executive of Lisbon at closed session of the House of Representatives.

By approving this vote, the chamber decided to “reject and condemn any manifestations of a violent, racist or xenophobic nature in the city of Lisbon, reaffirming its intercultural character and the uncompromising defense of an open city, without walls or battlements.” “.

In this sense, the municipal executive rejects the street action organized by the neo-Nazi group together with Martim Moniz and scheduled for February 3, and will coordinate its actions with the Ministry of Internal Administration and the Public Security Police (PSP) to guarantee legality and protection. all the people who live and work in Lisbon.

In addition, the municipal executive reaffirms the commitment of the Lisbon City Council to “the fight against racism and xenophobia.”

Currently, the 17-member executive body of the Lisbon Chamber includes seven elected members of the Novos Tempos coalition (PSD/CDS-PP/MPT/PPM/Alliance), who are the only ones with assigned responsibilities – three from PS, two from PCP, three from CPL (elected by the PS/Livre coalition), one from Livre and one from BE.

Expresso newspaper reported on Friday that an extremist march in Martim Moniz was planned for February 3, raising concerns among the immigrant community.

Subsequently, anti-racist groups decided to prepare a demonstration of “people of all colors” in response to a street protest called by a neo-Nazi group.

According to the refusal vote approved by the Lisbon Chamber, “extreme right-wing movements are organizing a demonstration “against the Islamization of Europe,” against immigrants of Asian origin” on February 3 in the Martim Moniz district and on Rua do Benformoso. , “precisely because these are the “streets with the largest number of immigrants in the country, especially of Islamic origin.”

“The organization has announced the purchase of torches, torches and liquid paraffin, which everything indicates will be instruments used to terrorize the immigrants there,” the denial vote reads.

The municipal executive, on the proposal of councilors CPL and BE, also states that we live in a time when hate speech continues to refer to migrants and “where politicians and public figures in their public statements refer to it as negative and undesirable behavior that promotes prejudices, stereotypical and discriminatory generalizations in the form of harassment, indicating the spread of deliberately xenophobic and racist ideologies.”

Regarding the extremist march in Martim Moniz, the chamber states that the action falls under “organized propaganda activities inciting hatred and violence against a person or group of people on the basis of race, color, ethnic or national origin, origin, religion.” “, which are prohibited by Article 240 of the Criminal Code, which means that the intervention of the competent authorities is necessary.

“Not taking a strong stand against a demonstration that promotes hate speech and racist and xenophobic attacks on people who are part of our population and are in a situation of greater vulnerability is an opening of space, a normalization, a speech that does not represent a city of tolerance , which we strive to become,” says the Lisbon City Council, stressing that it cannot turn a blind eye to demonstrations in the municipality that incite hatred and violence.

In 2020, by welcome vote no. 9/2020, Lisbon was declared an “anti-racist city”.

“These new residents of Lisbon are a clear factor in the renewal of the population and the increase in local and national demographics,” emphasizes the chamber, also highlighting the contribution of immigrants to the country’s economy and the sustainability of the social security system.

Assessing interculturality, the Lisbon Chamber “strongly rejects any sign of racial discrimination” and opposes hatred and discrimination, endorsing the vote of refusal as “an unequivocal and public sign that racist and xenophobic acts are unacceptable on its territory.”