The Mayor of Loures stated today, at the entrance of a summit organized by SIC Notícias, that the Talude Militar neighborhood is “a particular case” where, following the demolitions he ordered, “people are there because they want to be.”
Speaking to SIC upon his arrival in Paço de Arcos in the Oeiras municipality for the “Greater Lisbon Summit,” Ricardo Leão reiterated the need to halt the spread of precarious and illegal constructions, which he described as “continuously growing.”
When questioned, he confirmed he is “contesting” a Lisbon court’s decision that approved an injunction filed by 14 residents of Talude Militar.
“At present, it is a judicial issue,” he emphasized, declining to say whether he intends to continue the demolition operation that began last Monday, which brought down 55 homes but has since been suspended by court order, leaving nine houses standing.
“The rest remains to be seen,” he stated twice when asked if he plans to continue the demolitions.
When asked about the fate of the approximately 50 people still staying in tents in the neighborhood amid rubble and debris, he responded, “People are [in the neighborhood] because they want to be.”
The mayor, elected by the Socialist Party, noted that Loures faces “the same problems that the entire Lisbon Metropolitan Area has been experiencing,” particularly the “housing shortage,” especially public housing.
The “Greater Lisbon Summit,” which will discuss topics of housing, security, and transport, gathers five mayors (Almada, Lisbon, Loures, Oeiras, and Sintra) and the vice-president of the Cascais municipality.
