Presidential candidate Luís Marques Mendes condemned the attack on actor Adérito Lopes on Wednesday, emphasizing that beyond strong speeches, action from authorities is necessary.
“What is required are two things: first of all, to condemn the attack. Absolutely inadmissible, intolerable, unacceptable. All violence must be combated. There can be no tolerance,” he stated to journalists when asked if measures were needed to prevent such crimes by the far-right.
At the National Agricultural Fair in Santarém, Marques Mendes added that in addition to a strong speech condemning what needs to be condemned, “there should also be action by the courts to sanction those who have such violent behavior.”
Marques Mendes described the situation as “indescribable,” particularly since it involved violence “against a theater actor, symbolizing freedom of expression. Authorities must take firm action.”
Joana Amaral Dias Advances in the Belém Race (and Plays Offensively)
Still at the Ribatejo fair, the presidential candidate was questioned about Joana Amaral Dias’s criticisms, who launched her candidacy for Belém on Tuesday. At the rally in Lisbon, Joana Amaral Dias argued that neither Luís Marques Mendes nor António José Seguro “will confront” Gouveia e Melo, as they are “bound by the same agenda.”
Presidential candidate Joana Amaral Dias today launched her campaign for Belém with attacks on Gouveia e Melo, whom she described as “the worst of the system,” and characterized the elections as “a battle in which the homeland is at stake.”
“Regarding the candidates, I am always very clear: I greet them all. If they want to be candidates, they deserve all respect. I will run a positive campaign. I will not engage in a system of criticism. The country needs positive things and, above all, ambition and self-esteem. To grow and develop,” he responded, later pointing out that the agricultural sector is usually a “poor relative.” “But we also have to help change that,” he warned.
