“Only an act of desperation could lead a political leader to do this. It is a political irresponsibility, even a social irresponsibility. We already live in a highly polarized society without needing this kind of thing. A responsible political leadership would not do this. Mariana Leitão should apologize for what she did,” stated Rui Tavares at the Adroana fair in Cascais, Lisbon district.
During a campaign event for the local elections on the 12th, accompanied by BE leader Marisa Matias, Tavares responded to the remarks by Mariana Leitão, leader of the liberals, who on Saturday linked parties like BE and Livre to “acts of vandalism” in the country following a pro-Palestine demonstration in Lisbon.
Part of the demonstrators moved inside the CP Rossio station, and one of them was electrocuted while trying to climb to the top of a train.
Rui Tavares emphasized that the party participates in “demonstrations for human rights and against genocide” and distanced itself from protests that “invade a third party’s physical space.”
“Livre has always condemned when it had to condemn, mourned when it had to mourn, it does not endorse. Everyone knows that,” he affirmed.
On Saturday afternoon, a protest for Palestine and against the detentions of activists on the humanitarian flotilla bound for Gaza took place. The demonstrators, who left from Praça do Martim Moniz, took over Rossio Station, and a young man was electrocuted after climbing on a train.
Notícias ao Minuto | 08:10 – 05/10/2025
The deputy accused the liberal leader of “irresponsibility” for attempting to associate Livre and BE with “any kind of action that endangers people’s safety or freedom, including their own.”
On Saturday, IL president Mariana Leitão stated that the country is “witnessing a rise in acts of vandalism and disorder” as a result of appeals made by a “radical left,” holding BE national coordinator Mariana Mortágua and Livre spokesperson Rui Tavares accountable.
Mariana Leitão claimed that BE, Livre, and even Chega “use hatred and despair” and “the same tactics to divide people.”
The liberal challenged PS Secretary-General José Luís Carneiro to clarify if he identifies with these “radical left speeches” since the party is allied with BE and Livre in several municipalities for local elections.
More than 3,000 people gathered on Saturday in a protest against Israel’s detention of participants in the Global Sumud Humanitarian Flotilla, including four Portuguese citizens, one of whom is Mariana Mortágua.
The PSP reported that at the end of the action, with a route from Martim Moniz to Rossio – Praça D. Pedro IV, “unexpectedly, part of the demonstrators moved inside the CP Rossio station, where one of them climbed onto a train, apparently being electrocuted.”
This participant “was assisted by emergency medical services at the site and transported to a hospital unit [Hospital de S. José], considered seriously injured,” added the PSP.
[News updated at 12:27]
