The Attorney General of Portugal, Amadeu Guerra, addressed journalists after the inauguration of the Knowledge Center dedicated to the research and promotion of Child Law and Rights at the NOVA School of Law in Lisbon. He expressed concern about the recent report by the Council of Europe, which highlighted shortcomings in Portugal’s handling of hate crime cases, both in terms of policing and judiciary, noting that his concern extends beyond just hate crimes.
“Any increase in crime is concerning to me, particularly in areas such as hate, domestic violence, and homicides in the context of domestic violence. Extremism, or any infringement on citizens’ freedom, worries me,” said Guerra. He acknowledged specific challenges in hate crimes that complicate prosecution.
He explained that the difficulty in providing evidence for these crimes, which often occur between two individuals without witnesses or records, results in the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) opting not to proceed to trial due to lack of evidence to support an accusation.
When asked about examples from Northern Europe, where dedicated ‘task forces’ address such crimes, Guerra expressed a desire for extensive resources, stating, “I would like to have a task force for everything,” but emphasized the MP’s resource constraints.
The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), a Council of Europe body, released findings from a team of independent experts who assessed racism, discrimination, xenophobia, antisemitism, and intolerance in Portugal.
The report notes instances of hate-motivated violence in Portugal, sometimes involving neo-Nazi groups. However, experts accuse the police of frequently not recording complaints and note that few cases proceed to trial.
Of the cases that do reach the judiciary, even fewer result in court decisions, the experts conclude, recommending measures to improve relations and trust between the police and groups such as migrants, Black individuals, LGBTI people, and the Roma community.
Discrimination and hate and violence incitement crimes have risen by over 200% in the past five years, according to Justice Statistics, with 421 cases reported in 2024, the year with the highest occurrences.
