Ana Gomes, a former member of the European Parliament for the Socialist Party, has criticized the online reactions of “hatred” towards around 40 Moroccan immigrants who arrived by boat in the Algarve. She believes those expressing such sentiments seem to have forgotten their own relatives who undertook similar journeys to other European countries.
“Surely they’ve forgotten their parents, uncles, relatives, who went ‘a salto’ to France, to Germany,” Gomes stated in an interview with Sic Notícias. “They didn’t go by boat, but they went ‘a salto’, illegally, because there was no other way to go,” she added.
The former MEP suggests the situation has been exploited by the leader of Chega to “incite hatred.”
She further argues that André Ventura is adopting a similar stance regarding the Foreigners Law, which was rejected on Friday by the Constitutional Court (TC).
“This perfectly serves Chega’s agenda, which the government has followed,” she claims, noting that the Foreigners Law “wasn’t even in the AD’s electoral program.”
In response to a protest against the presidential veto of the law, Ana Gomes comments that “obviously, Chega will continue to make a fuss.”
The decision by the TC, which Gomes advocated for since its introduction, was “expected” and enabled the President of the Republic to “succeed completely in the positions he defended.”
Among the seven doubts raised by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, five were deemed unconstitutional by the TC, supporting the Portuguese Head of State’s stance.
According to the socialist, the court’s decision, in some way, suggests that the Right is “against the family,” despite often claiming otherwise.
Regarding the critiques of the TC’s decision, Ana Gomes responds: “Some from the Right argued it was an ideological stance, as if there were any positions that weren’t ideological.”
In future negotiations, Gomes believes it’s “natural” for the PSD to align with Chega, noting it’s “an area where clearly the PSD follows” the other party. She argues that the new law “is not about correcting what’s needed.”
