A protest held in front of Teatro A Barraca gathered hundreds of individuals calling for an end to hate speech and political violence.
Jorge Pinto, a deputy from Livre, emphasized, “The cultural sector is always among the first targets of these groups,” and stressed the importance of “fighting hate speech, whether on social media, in the press, or in Parliament.”
The deputy highlighted institutional silence as a complicit factor, stating, “It is unacceptable for far-right representatives to have unlimited airtime to promote violent discourse. It’s expected that this violence then manifests in the streets.”
Pinto urged the government to demonstrate political courage in upholding the Constitution and enforcing the law: “We have a legal framework that should protect us from such organizations. What is lacking is political will.”
He also accused some political leaders of downplaying the threat of the far-right: “Democrats must not agree with the false equivalence between a dangerous, violent, often murderous far-right, and a supposed left-wing that some claim is also violent. This is not true.”
On behalf of the PCP, Paulo Raimundo remarked that “this is not a skirmish; it is a hate crime,” noting that Article 46 of the Constitution expressly forbids the existence of fascist or neo-Nazi organizations. “Authorities need to act. They seem to be doing something, but clearly, it’s not enough,” he lamented.
The communist general secretary argued that “the enemy is not our immigrant or working neighbor, but those who concentrate wealth at the expense of everyone else’s labor,” criticizing the strategy of divide and rule: “It feeds the divisive discourse. It’s like pouring gasoline on this fire.”
Mariana Mortágua, leader of Bloco de Esquerda, accused the government of covering up the rise of these groups. “The group that attacked this theater includes people who murdered Alcindo Monteiro 30 years ago. It was identified as a terrorist group in the internal security report, but that chapter was removed, and it was the government that decided to omit this threat,” she pointed out.
The BE coordinator stressed that “fascism enters our minds before it takes over power,” and that institutional complicity aids in its normalization: “Not everything is the same. The far-right is attacking people, theaters, and parties. It cannot be treated as just another version of reality.”
Mortágua further criticized the airing of an interview with the aggressor on television, which, according to her, “trivializes the act” and presents “an alternative story.” For the BE leader, “this gives a platform to fascism and reinforces its normalization.”
Inês Sousa Real, spokesperson for PAN, warned of the “normalization of fascist speeches and behaviors, even within the Assembly of the Republic.”
Alongside the actor assault case, she reminded of other recent incidents: “Two volunteers were also attacked in Porto while distributing food to the homeless. This is spreading,” she commented.
The deputy also reported personal threats: “We learned this week that an individual was charged by the Public Prosecutor for saying that my head and those of other deputies would look good on a pole on Avenida da República. This cannot be tolerated.”
Inês Sousa Real called for more training for law enforcement, increased resources for the judiciary, and active monitoring of hate groups: “We must act firmly, both inside and outside Parliament. If they think they can intimidate us, we won’t be silenced,” she concluded.
