Multiple political figures have spoken out against an attack by a far-right group on a member of the theater company A Barraca in Lisbon on Tuesday night, condemning it as an “assault on freedom of expression.”
The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, emphasized on Wednesday that “we live in democracy and do not want to return to dictatorship,” reminding that “in democracy there is and must be freedom to think and express thoughts, in a plural and uncensored manner.”
“The President of the Republic spoke by phone with Maria do Céu Guerra, expressing his solidarity to her, the entire company, and its actors,” reads a note published on the Presidency’s webpage.
The head of state noted that “in democracy there is, and must be, freedom to think and express thoughts, in a plural and uncensored manner.”
The Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Margarida Balseiro Lopes, also condemned the attack on Adérito Lopes, describing it as an “attack on freedom of expression, on the right to creation, on democratic values.”
“Culture is a place of freedom, never of fear. I repudiate the cowardly aggression aimed at the actors of the company A Barraca. This attack is an assault on freedom of expression, on the right to creation, on the democratic values that define us as a country. Culture is not intimidated. It doesn’t retreat. And it doesn’t accept hatred disguised as political discourse,” wrote the minister.
Margarida Balseiro Lopes further emphasized the need to ensure that artists, technicians, and the public can participate fully in cultural life with security, respect, and dignity. She extended her solidarity to the assaulted actor and the entire company, especially to the artistic director Maria do Céu Guerra, “whose role in Portuguese culture is invaluable.”
The Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) and the Left Bloc (BE) also condemned the attack, but criticized the government. “Total solidarity with Adérito Lopes, actor of theater A Barraca attacked by neo-Nazis. It is urgent to end the impunity of these criminal associations (the ones the Government removed from the Internal Security Report),” wrote the former deputy António Filipe on the social network X (Twitter).
The BE’s coordinator and sole deputy, Mariana Mortágua, highlighted that “neo-fascists attack books, theater, and those who make culture,” because “they think they can.”
“The PSD government removed from the internal security report the threat of the far-right. It is the biggest risk to our democracy. Solidarity with the theater d’A Barraca. Let’s fight,” she wrote, on the same social network.
Meanwhile, Mortágua requested the president of the Assembly of the Republic, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, to schedule a debate on the 2024 Internal Security Annual Report with the government present at the next leaders’ conference.
Socialist Isabel Moreira also commented on the situation on social media, addressing the official account of the Prime Minister, questioning: “Luís Montenegro, what are the government’s priorities in terms of security policy and education? Announcing mega operations against immigrants and abandoning citizenship education as a mandatory subject? And waking up?”
Rui Tavares, the spokesperson for Livre, used the same social network to point out that the attacks are “the result of there being no clarity in rejecting hate speech.”
“The aggression against actor Adérito Lopes deserves the strongest condemnation and an investigation to punish those responsible. It is unacceptable that a play is canceled because of a neo-fascist group. It is the result of there being no clarity in rejecting hate speech,” he wrote.
The actor Adérito Lopes was assaulted by a far-right group before going on stage for a tribute show to Camões. The piece was canceled, and the actor was hospitalized in Lisbon.
The President of the Lisbon City Council (CML), Carlos Moedas, joined the actors of the A Barraca theater company, emphasizing that “violence is unacceptable.”
“I joined, in solidarity, the actors of theater A Barraca after the attack on one of the cast members. Violence is unacceptable,” wrote the official, on the X social network (Twitter).
Carlos Moedas also reiterated “the request already made to the Ministry of Internal Administration” to mobilize “more police officers in the city” and conduct a “review of the priority areas for video surveillance.”
The presidential candidate Luís Marques Mendes commented that “there can be no tolerance,” calling for the “action of the courts to punish those who behave violently.”
“Absolutely inadmissible, intolerable, unacceptable. All violence must be fought. There can be no tolerance,” he stated, believing that, in addition to “a firm discourse,” there must also be “court action to punish those who behave with such violence.”
The Casa do Artista also condemned the violence and reminded that in a democracy “there is no place for hate, intimidation, or aggression.” It reaffirmed its “firm defense of the values of democracy, respect, and human dignity as well as [its] commitment to the dignity and safety of all artists.”
Likewise, the Teatro Nacional D. Maria II condemned “the violent assault” on A Barraca, expressing solidarity with the entire company and particularly with actor Adérito Lopes.
The Teatro D. Maria II, “as an artistic institution facing the resurgence of threats to freedom of expression, […] condemns all forms of violence and attempts to condition the cultural rights of all people, and will continue to work committedly in defending the freedom of creation and cultural participation as a fundamental value of a democratic society,” reads on the theater’s official page.
The ACTA – A Companhia de Teatro do Algarve also reacted, expressing “solidarity with A Barraca Teatro, particularly with actor Adérito Lopes, brutally attacked in a cowardly act of neo-Nazi violence.”
“It is urgent to stop the spread of hatred and put an end to extremist narratives that threaten freedom, art, and human dignity,” they appealed.
Similarly, the Portuguese Theatre Federation condemned “the violent act against the actors of A Barraca Teatro,” expressing solidarity.
The professional school Instituto para o Desenvolvimento Social (IDS), to which actor Adérito Lopes, coordinator of the Actor/Actress course, belongs, published on Instagram repudiating the vile aggression against their professor.
“Our teacher, victim of a group of criminals motivated by hate and violence, embodies universal values which led him, nearly a decade ago, to join IDS, knowing that, in this Home, the defense of humanistic values such as education, freedom, peace, justice, and respect for others, is an integral part of our mission as a School.”
Leia Também: Marcelo shows solidarity with actors: “We do not want to live in a dictatorship”
