A spokesperson for the Lisbon Metropolitan Command of the Public Security Police (PSP) stated, “currently, there are no protesters at the MUDE or near the Israeli embassy.”
Over a thousand demonstrators gathered on Thursday in Lisbon to demand the release of Portuguese citizens detained by Israel aboard vessels carrying humanitarian aid as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla.
The protest, organized by the solidarity movement with Palestine, began in front of the Israeli Embassy and included adults, youth, and children waving the Palestinian flag and the symbolic Palestinian scarf, the Keffiyeh.
On Thursday night, more than a hundred people moved the protest to the Mude, where a debate among candidates for the Lisbon City Council took place, necessitating the closure of Rua Augusta in both directions.
The demonstrators called for sanctions against Israel and the resignation of the current Mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas.
Around 00:20 today, the protesters blocked the car of the Socialist Party candidate for Lisbon City Council, Alexandra Leitão, forcing her to return to the Mude.
The socialist candidate downplayed the incident in statements to RTP, which broadcasted footage from inside the museum where the candidates were conversing in small groups.
The PSP spokesperson in Lisbon mentioned to Lusa that “there was not necessarily a blockade” of the debate participants’ exit.
The police “ensured that each candidate left the building according to conditions” by applying “security measures,” the same source added.
Israeli forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla on Wednesday and Thursday, consisting of around 50 vessels heading to the Gaza Strip to deliver humanitarian aid, detaining the participants, including four Portuguese citizens: the leader of the Left Bloc, Mariana Mortágua, actress Sofia Aparício, and activists Miguel Duarte and Diogo Chaves.
Prime Minister Luís Montenegro expressed hope on Thursday that the Portuguese citizens would return to the country “without any incident,” emphasizing that the humanitarian flotilla’s message was conveyed.
Additionally, 30 Spaniards, 22 Italians, 21 Turks, 12 Malaysians, 11 Tunisians, 15 Brazilians, and 10 French nationals, as well as citizens from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Mexico, and Colombia, were detained.
The organizers reported a lack of information regarding the whereabouts of 443 participants in the humanitarian mission.
