While speaking at a local government session in Figueira da Foz, Coimbra district, Filipa Pinto expressed concerns about what she described as an “ongoing attack on democracy from within” within the parliament, attributing this to the far-right party, Chega.
The Porto-elected deputy emphasized, “What I believe and what should be done is something that already exists in other parliaments, such as the European Parliament: when there is a severe breach of civility and education among deputies, there should be some penalty, such as a salary loss.”
Filipa Pinto called for intervention to address inappropriate language in parliament because simply cautioning deputies to “be mindful of their language and respect one another” will not suffice with the current 70% right and far-right majority.
She stressed that the situation involving insults and language that “degrades the democratic environment” extends beyond plenary debates to parliamentary committees.
“Even during committee hearings, where we are receiving inquiries and aid requests from external entities, the atmosphere can be explosive,” she illustrated.
The Livre deputy also criticized the President of the Assembly, Aguiar Branco, for frequently invoking “freedom of expression” in response to complaints of insults, and extended her criticism to the Liberal Initiative, PSD, and CDS-PP, the government-supporting parties.
“The parties supporting the government and the entire right are complicit in the degradation of the democratic institution that is the Assembly of the Republic,” she reiterated.
Besides potential financial penalties, Filipa Pinto advocated for “greater authority” from the leaders’ conference in defining the language used by deputies to avoid “this public and humiliating degradation of democracy,” which, she claimed, happens daily with children and young people present in the Assembly.
Filipa Pinto, a trained teacher, expressed her “profound sadness with the degrading example” some deputies set for the Portuguese people, which may further alienate the public from the parliament.
“There must be respect, civility, and education among us,” she stated.
Filipa Pinto recounted an incident in the Education Committee involving an unidentified Chega deputy: “I was humiliated by a deputy who told me to find a room. I was merely asking the Minister of Education to reconsider the Citizenship classes, and this was the response,” she lamented.
During the local government days of the Evoluir Figueira coalition, a candidate in the upcoming local elections on October 12, in which she participated alongside Marisa Matias (Bloco de Esquerda) and Inês Sousa Real (PAN), the Livre deputy referred to the “tremendously difficult period” in parliament, marked by “hate speeches and open threats.”
“There are people, young people, who say they are afraid to walk the streets because they are different, immigrants, or part of the LGBT+ community. But we will not allow fear into our lives and will continue to fight,” she noted.
