The sole coordinator and deputy of the Left Bloc (BE) criticized Prime Minister Luís Montenegro and Lisbon’s Mayor Carlos Moedas (PSD) in parliament for their “systematic downplaying of security threats from far-right groups,” some of which are “internationally classified as terrorist groups.”
The politician expressed concerns over the removal of a section from the 2024 Annual Internal Security Report (RASI) that mentioned the presence of a far-right group in Portugal. Also noted was the dismantling by the Judiciary Police (PJ) of an armed far-right militia, which included a PSP chief on a special assignment with the Municipal Police of Lisbon.
“The far-right is growing,” stated the BE leader, emphasizing that “this internal security threat must be taken seriously” and pointing to a radicalization process among young people in Portuguese society.
The BE plans to summon the director of the PJ, Luís Neves, and the Minister of Internal Administration, Maria Lúcia Amaral, to parliament to discuss “what is happening with far-right groups in Portugal,” what occurred with the RASI report and internal security, and to compare what was documented in the RASI regarding the far-right threats,” she indicated.
“This issue is too important to be ignored,” she added.
The leadership conference had already approved the BE’s request to discuss the RASI 2024 with the government’s presence. When asked if the request to hear the Minister of Internal Administration might be redundant, Mariana Mortágua stated that Maria Lúcia Amaral’s appearance “pertains to future strategies on countering the presence of these armed groups” and to address the “information that includes infiltration of these far-right groups, considered terrorists, within security forces using them as recruitment grounds,” she concluded.
