Actor Adérito Lopes was assaulted on Tuesday in Lisbon, leading to the cancellation of a session of the play ‘Amor é um fogo que arde sem se ver’, a production by A Barraca at Teatro Cinearte, confirmed actress and director Maria do Céu Guerra.
Speaking to RTP3, Maria do Céu Guerra stated that the attack was carried out by “a group of people coming from a demonstration at Martim Moniz.”
“There were about 30 of them, and they started by provoking an actress, who was wearing a top with a star, and who had headphones on, so she didn’t hear what they were saying (…) Suddenly, they tried to attack one of the actors. Then, Adérito Lopes arrived, who was coming to prepare an hour before the show, and he was violently assaulted,” she recounted.
“He is not well,” she added, noting that the actor, who suffered an eye injury and a large cut on his face, is at Hospital de São José, undergoing several tests.
According to the director of the company, the attack had “political motivations.” The group left a note with the message: “Remigration. Portugal to the ‘Portuguese'”, linked to the ultranationalist group Reconquista. They also shouted phrases like “defend your blood.”
In a statement to Lusa, the actress detailed that it all began around 8 pm, as the actors were arriving at Cinearte in Largo de Santos and encountered “a group of neo-Nazis with placards, programs,” with various xenophobic slogans.
After the attack, the suspects “fled” and at least one person was reportedly detained by the Polícia de Segurança Pública (PSP). Notícias ao Minuto contacted the police force, which declined to provide any information at this time.
The play ‘Amor é um fogo que arde sem se ver’ was supposed to have its final showing of a series of six at 9 pm. Admission was free, and the venue was full. However, the show did not proceed.
Maria do Céu Guerra also noted that today marks 30 years since the neo-Nazi attack that killed Alcindo Monteiro: “30 years later, this country still hasn’t found a way to defend itself from the Nazis,” she told Lusa.
“It’s terrible. And I have the cast here, 14 actors, all fearing for their exit from the theater. They want to speak, to express their opinion, to say what they feel about this and the protection they deserve,” the actress stated.
‘Amor é um fogo que arde sem se ver’ explores the life and work of Luís Vaz de Camões, commemorating the fifth centenary of the poet’s birth. It is directed by Hélder Mateus da Costa and Maria do Céu Guerra.
The cast includes Adérito Lopes, Beatriz Dinis e Silva, Érica Galiza, Gil Filipe, Luís Ilunga, Maria do Céu Guerra, Manuel Petiz, Rita Mendes Nunes, Samuel Moura, Sérgio Moras, Teresa Mello Sampayo, Vasco Lello, and Maria Baltazar.
[News updated at 11:24 pm]
