Amid the sound of drums, protesters marched from Cova da Moura, where Odair Moniz was killed, to the Zambujal neighborhood, where he resided. The crowd chanted various slogans, the most prominent being: “justice for Odair,” “racist police, torture and kill,” “no justice, no peace,” and “our fight is every day against racism and xenophobia.”
Resident of the Zambujal neighborhood, Odair Moniz was fatally shot by a Public Security Police (PSP) officer on October 21, 2024, while driving in the Cova da Moura neighborhood. His death triggered unrest, occasionally accompanied by disturbances in several neighborhoods on the outskirts of Lisbon.
“We are demanding justice for Odair and for all those who have unfortunately been killed due to police abuse. What we are asking and longing for is that there be no police abuse and that neighborhoods are not viewed as sources of oppression and repression,” stated Luísa Semedo, an activist from the Vida Justa movement.
“We cannot have our children seeing policing as a threat, but rather as a safety measure,” she emphasized.
When asked if anything has changed since October 2024, given that meetings have been held between the government and community leaders, Luísa Semedo highlighted that these gatherings “were somewhat superficial.”
“As far as they are concerned, they have not contacted the associations anymore, there is no proximity, neither any understanding of how we can resolve this in the best way,” she stressed.
The activist argued that the state should view minorities or those living in neighborhoods “not as criminals, but as more vulnerable in terms of needing support rather than repression.”
At the end of January, the Public Prosecutor’s Office charged the PSP officer who shot Odair Moniz in the Cova da Moura neighborhood with homicide, a crime punishable by a prison sentence of eight to sixteen years, with the next phase of the process being the trial.
When questioned about the charge, the Vida Justa movement activist said she was not the best person to comment on it.
Besides the judicial proceedings, disciplinary processes are underway within the PSP and the General Inspectorate of Internal Administration (IGAI), to which the Minister of Internal Administration, Margarida Blasco, has requested an “urgent character,” but no conclusions have been reached yet.
According to the indictment, Odair Moniz attempted to flee and resisted arrest, but no threat with a bladed weapon was confirmed, contradicting the PSP’s official statement released after the incident, which claimed the man had “resisted arrest” and attempted to assault officers “with a bladed weapon.”
By decision of the Amadora Court, the PSP officer has been suspended from duties since the end of February.
Today’s march, organized by the Great March of Neighborhoods of the Vida Justa movement and attended by BE Deputy Fabian Figueiredo, marked the end of a series of initiatives that began on March 15 across the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. These initiatives have passed through various neighborhoods in the municipalities of Almada (Setúbal district), Amadora, Barreiro, Cascais, Loures, Seixal, and Sintra (Lisbon district) against evictions.
