A Socialist Party (PS) deputy, Isabel Moreira, expressed her wish to “hear the President of the Republic,” and also wished “the justice system would act” in response to Chega’s leader, André Ventura, naming several children attending a school in Lisbon in Parliament during the discussion on changes to nationality and immigration laws last week.
Isabel Moreira stated on the social network X (formerly Twitter) that “the video of the Chega deputy [referring to Rita Matias] and Ventura’s intervention focus on names that remind us of a region of the globe rather than on students of English or French schools.”
“Since Friday, all children who have the names mentioned are more insecure. It’s monstrous. It’s indeed a hate crime. And choosing to side with Chega is a choice. I would like to see consequences in the Assembly of the Republic, I would like to hear the President of the Republic, and I would like the justice system to act,” she emphasized.
In recent days, several deputies and political figures have criticized André Ventura’s actions in Parliament.
Desde sexta-feira, todas as crianças que tenham os nomes invocados estão mais inseguras. É monstruoso. É crime de ódio sim. E pactuar com o ch é uma escolha. Gostava de ver consequências na AR, gostava de ouvir o PR e gostava que a justiça agisse.
— Isabel Moreira (@IsabelLMMoreira) July 7, 2025
Pedro Duarte “shocked” and describes Ventura’s attitude as “inexcusable”
“I am shocked by people’s lack of empathy and this thrill of populism, of demagogy, which probably makes these people forget all the values and principles that I continue to believe that, deep down, they may profess. But, indeed, there are no limits. This is absolutely unacceptable, it’s inexcusable,” declared former Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Pedro Duarte, during the commentary segment ‘Principle of Uncertainty’ on CNN Portugal.
Pedro Duarte pointed out that “it doesn’t mitigate that the names were not fully spoken in Parliament,” explaining that “the issue at stake is that there is a manifest subjective impact on people and in each individual’s personal context.”
Pedro Duarte expressed being “shocked” and characterized André Ventura’s attitude as “inexcusable” after the Chega leader enumerated names of foreign children attending a school in Lisbon in Parliament during the discussion on changes to nationality and immigration laws.
Maria Gouveia com Lusa | 08:11 – 07/07/2025
Alexandra Leitão: Episode surpassed “what is acceptable in a democracy”
Socialist Alexandra Leitão also criticized André Ventura’s behavior, stating that the episode in Parliament surpassed “what is acceptable in a democracy” and that “instrumentalizing minors to fuel hate speech is shameful, inhumane and dangerous.”
Alexandra Leitão criticized Chega’s president, André Ventura, for mentioning minor students’ names in Parliament and talks about instrumentalization “to fuel hate speech.”
Notícias ao Minuto com Lusa | 11:43 – 06/07/2025
It is noteworthy that during the moment André Ventura began citing foreign children’s names in the Assembly of the Republic, various deputies from the Left benches intervened and attempted to interrupt Chega’s leader’s speech. However, the person chairing the proceedings did not intervene.
For instance, the parliamentary leader of Livre became emotional, requesting “humanism.”
On Sunday, Chega’s president wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that “a part of the country was bothered by the reading of Islamic and Indian names in Portuguese schools” and attacked the Left: “Curious, I never saw them concerned about the use of children and young people in LGBT propaganda or in the brochures of the Bloc and the PCP.”
It should be noted that the Government’s initiatives to amend nationality and immigration diplomas went down to the specialty phase without being voted on in general, as well as Chega’s bills on the same matters.
The Government’s bill to amend the nationality diploma, which will now be discussed in committee, aims to increase the period of stay in Portugal required for obtaining citizenship (from five to 7 or 10 years, depending on whether they are citizens of Portuguese-speaking countries or non-Portuguese-speaking countries).
The Government also plans the possibility of loss of nationality for those naturalized for less than 10 years and sentenced to an effective prison sentence equal to or exceeding 5 years for committing serious crimes. Regarding the attribution of original nationality to descendants of foreign residents in Portugal, a legal residency period of three years is now required.
Chega’s bill, which also passed to the specialty, proposes “the loss of nationality acquired by naturalization or when they have dual nationality, in cases where the individual commits acts that seriously undermine sovereignty, national security, or the essential principles of the Rule of Law.”
In terms of foreigner law, the Government intends to restrict the job-seeking visa “to highly qualified activities,” limit access to family reunification, and change the conditions for granting residence authorization to nationals of Member States of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP).
Chega presents a bill that “restricts the rules regarding entry and stay in national territory,” imposing entry quotas according to labor needs identified by the authorities.
