“It is evident that no socialist, indeed no Portuguese, would have been very pleased, having some empathy, with the images seen in the media, but it is now understood that the local governments are facing a problem, which is a serious problem, that requires the Government,” Eurico Brilhante Dias responded to journalists upon entering the national political committee of the PS in Lisbon.
Endorsing the statements of the PS Secretary-General to Lusa about the demolition of shanties in Loures, the socialist parliamentary leader emphasized that any mayor, including socialists, “must approach this issue with humanism, empathy, and social sensitivity, and that mark must be evident.”
When asked whether Ricardo Leão lacked these qualities, Brilhante Dias began by mentioning that he has known the mayor of Loures “perhaps for more than 30 years” and recognizes “his entire effort to make the territory he administers the best possible for the people living in Loures.”
“I acknowledge in him the empathy and socialism. It is not always the perception that comes across, and this time, apparently, it was not the perception that came across,” he noted.
Regarding the open letter from PS deputies and former governors outraged with the “demolition of principles and shanties,” the PS parliamentary leader considered that “this is a particular episode” and “the pillars of the Socialist Party, fortunately, are so deep that they have over 50 years.”
As for whether this situation could jeopardize PS support for Ricardo Leão in the municipal elections, Brilhante Dias assured that such support is not in question.
“Ricardo Leão is a mayor who is not evaluated by an episode like this but by many days and months of work in service to the community,” he remarked.
The Loures municipality, led by socialist Ricardo Leão, began a demolition operation on Monday, targeting 64 precarious houses inhabited by 161 people at Talude Militar.
The Administrative Court of Lisbon has provisionally accepted an injunction filed by a lawyer representing 14 residents of the neighborhood.
The court considers there to be “a situation of special urgency,” ordering the notification of its decision “immediately and in the most expedited manner,” and also recalls that “the precautionary process is an urgent process,” giving the municipality a period of 10 days to contest the decision, “without prejudice to the order.”
