“Alcindo Monteiro was a 27-year-old Portuguese-Cape Verdean who left home to enjoy himself and never returned. He was a victim of a hate crime and racism by violent fundamentalists,” said Joana Mortágua, a leader of BE.
The commemoration march for Alcindo Monteiro, who was killed on June 10, 2005, was the largest ever, gathering over five hundred people, a “sign of the times,” as communist leader António Filipe noted.
“More people are becoming aware of the seriousness of hate speech,” stated the PCP leader.
It was a “hate and racist crime that must be particularly highlighted at a time when in Portuguese society, as in other societies, dangerous hate speech is intensifying,” he said, adding: “hate speech kills, and we do not want hate crimes like the one that victimized Alcindo Monteiro to happen again in Portugal.”
Therefore, the “PCP is present at this demonstration to affirm the antiracist values, values of tolerance, and democratic coexistence for those living in Portugal, regardless of their origin,” explained António Filipe.
Alcindo Monteiro was killed by a group of neo-Nazis 20 years ago, with assaults on Garrett Street and Largo do Carmo, where the demonstration, organized by the movements Frente Anti-Racista and Vida Junta, concluded today.
For Joana Mortágua, the participation indicates that there are still those who resist a “fundamentalist group that is growing in expression, that is against rights, against equality, against the fundamental principles of democracy and human rights.”
“On one side is extremism and fundamentalism, and on the other is decency,” she summarized.
“Today we see this violent fundamentalism growing, it is no longer a minority; it is fueled by speeches that legitimize racism, xenophobia, and hatred for the other, hatred for difference,” explained the BE leader.
In this sense, “on Portugal Day, it is good to celebrate that our history also includes the fight against racism, the struggle of African peoples for their liberation, and the fight for democracy. And in that history, we also celebrate the victims of racist hate and racist violence such as the case exactly 20 years ago,” Joana Mortágua further added.
