“We are witnessing a series of arbitrary actions and injustices towards immigrants, notably the persecution of immigrants as if they were criminals,” stated one of the protest organizers, planned for 14:00.
According to Timóteo Macedo from the Solidarity Immigrant Association, the issue revolves around the detention of dozens of immigrants in temporary detention centers, not for committing any crime, but solely because they appear on the Schengen Information System list for having been in another EU member state before arriving in Portugal.
“This is not a crime. The ones committing illegality in this respect are the Portuguese authorities,” he accuses.
In a statement, the Solidarity Immigrant Association also mentions a “climate of intimidation over those who work and contribute to this country, having been integrated in the workforce for several years and in sectors where Portugal has significant shortages.”
Referring to the changes the Government intends to introduce to immigration and nationality laws, the association believes that the executive “sets a poor example” in policies of reception and integration.
“It sets a poor example by not clearly opposing those who threaten to disregard and not respect the recommendations of the Constitutional Court regarding the regression of the Immigration Law and soon the Nationality Law,” the statement adds.
At the end of July, the Solidarity Immigrant Association for the Defense of Immigrant Rights had already organized a protest in Porto, which gathered about a thousand immigrants, according to the organization’s figures.
At that time, former Left Bloc deputy José Soeiro, who is also part of the association, denounced the detention of 10 immigrants in Temporary Installation Centers in Portugal, a number which, according to Timóteo Macedo, now approaches 80 detentions.
