A day after the Portuguese Judiciary Police (PJ) detained six members of a far-right group, including a chief of the Public Security Police (PSP), the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) published a report addressing racism, discrimination, xenophobia, antisemitism, and intolerance in Portugal, in connection with the International Day Against Hate Speech.
The report, reflecting the conclusions of an independent working group, recommends that Portuguese authorities ensure more training for police officers to handle incidents and hate crimes.
Five years after the last report, researchers noted that incidents of hate-motivated violence continue to occur in Portugal, sometimes involving neo-Nazi groups. However, experts criticize the police for frequently failing to register complaints, with few cases proceeding to trial.
Police Need Training to Deal with Racism
Of the few cases that reach the courts, even fewer result in judicial decisions, conclude the experts, who recommend implementing measures to improve relationships and build trust between the police and specific groups such as migrants, Black people, the LGBTI community, and the Roma.
In addition to these measures, the experts also recommend that police officers and criminal justice professionals attend specific training programs to address these issues.
Researchers also expressed concerns about “the increase in online hate speech” and inflammatory rhetoric that divides people, used by some politicians.
“Although there is no official and disaggregated data on hate speech incidents in Portugal, several credible reports from civil society organizations and other independent bodies point to a sharp increase in hate speech in the country, predominantly targeting migrants, Roma, LGBTI individuals, and Black people“ states the ECRI, part of the Council of Europe.
Hate speech in Portugal has seen a “sharp increase,” according to the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, part of the Council of Europe, which warns of an online growth and criticizes “anti-migrant rhetoric in political discussions.”
Lusa | 00:04 – 18/06/2025
Hate Crimes Increased by Over 200% in 5 Years
According to Justice Statistics by the Directorate-General for Justice Policy (DGPJ), crimes of discrimination, incitement to hatred, and violence have increased by over 200% in the last five years, with 2024 marking the year with the most occurrences.
The year 2000 marked the first data registration of such cases in official statistics. In that year, there were three cases recorded, ten in 2005, fifteen in 2010, and nineteen in 2015. From there, the increase remained constant, with twenty-five crimes in 2016, forty-eight in 2017, sixty-three in 2018, and eighty-two in 2019.
In 2020, statistics registered 132 crimes of discrimination and incitement to hatred and violence, which increased to 150 in 2021. In 2022, 270 occurrences were recorded, 344 in 2023, and in 2024, the number reached 421, the highest value recorded so far.
PSP Officer Among Far-Right Group, Death of Odair Moniz and Assault on Cláudia Simões: Cases in Portugal
PSP Chief Among Detainees of the Lusitano Armilar Movement
On Tuesday, the Judiciary Police announced that it had detained six individuals “strongly suspected of committing crimes related to terrorist group activities, discrimination, and incitement to hatred and violence, including possession of prohibited weapons.”
“The investigation resulted from online detection of indicators of extremist manifestations by proponents of radical and violent right-wing and nationalist ideologies, following an anti-system and conspiratorial doctrine that encouraged discrimination, hatred, and violence against immigrants and refugees,” revealed the PJ regarding Operation Disarm 3D, adding that the detainees are suspected members of the so-called Lusitano Armilar Movement (MAL).
Among the six detainees is a PSP chief assigned to the Lisbon Municipal Police, reportedly transferred to this position due to links to the far-right movement. The authority has already initiated disciplinary proceedings against the officer.
Following the arrest, the national director of the PSP, Luís Miguel Carrilho, emphasized that the law must be obeyed. “The law must be followed – ‘dura lex, sed lex’ – the law is harsh but must be obeyed. Justice must be served. We have the best institutional relationship with the Judiciary Police and the Public Prosecutor’s Office. There is an ongoing process, as naturally everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and we hope justice is served in this case,” the official stated to Lusa, during the 151st anniversary of the Leiria PSP District Command.
Death of Odair Moniz
In October 2024, Cape Verdean Odair Moniz, aged 43, died after being shot twice by a PSP officer in Cova da Moura. The officer is expected to stand trial nearly a year after the death, with the trial scheduled to begin on October 15.
According to the charges, the Cape Verdean resident of Bairro do Zambujal attempted to flee the PSP and resisted arrest; however, there was no evidence of a knife threat, contradicting the official statement released by the PSP National Directorate, which alleged the man had “resisted arrest” and attempted to attack officers “with a knife.”
Regarding the shots, the first was fired from a distance between 20 to 50 centimeters, hitting the chest area. At this point, Odair still “remained standing,” but the PSP officer fired a second shot from a distance between 75 centimeters and one meter, hitting the thigh area.
Assault on Cláudia Simões
On January 19, Cláudia Simões, a Portuguese-Angolan, was involved in an argument between passengers and a bus driver in Amadora regarding her daughter, then aged 8, who had forgotten her bus pass.
Upon reaching the destination, the driver decided to call the police, and following moments of tension, an officer decided to restrain Cláudia Simões near the bus stop after she refused to be identified.
Five years later, in April 2025, the Lisbon Court of Appeal ruled, based on testimony and video evidence, that Cláudia Simões was assaulted inside the PSP vehicle by Officer Carlos Canha, “which took place in the presence and inaction of co-defendants PSP officers Fernando Rodrigues and João Gouveia.”
