An anti-immigration demonstration and an anti-fascist demonstration will take place 350 meters apart on Saturday in downtown Porto, having already been authorized by the Public Security Police.
Contacted by Lusa, a source from the Metropolitan Command of the PSP in Porto said today that the two demonstrations, which will be accompanied by security agents, have been given the go-ahead.
The Porto City Council also said that a police assessment had been requested from the Porto PSP Metropolitan Command, as is the case with all demonstrations.
“The police opinion is not against holding the demonstrations indicated,” he adds, pointing out that the right to demonstrate “does not require authorization” from the mayor and that the security assessment is “the exclusive responsibility of the PSP”.
“It is not up to the CMP to rule on exclusively police matters. The demonstrations planned for April 6 do not coincide geographically. The police measures that may be adopted for this specific purpose are the exclusive responsibility of the PSP,” he adds.
Called by the 1143 group, the “Less Immigration, More Housing” demonstration is scheduled to take place at 18:00 in Praça D. João I, according to the PSP.
On the social network X (formerly Twitter), the group, whose spokesperson is far-right activist Mário Machado, calls on “all patriots to show up” in Porto to show “opposition to the invasion of immigrants, which is the main reason for the brutal rise in housing prices”.
“It’s not enough to stop immigration, it’s urgent that we start the process of remigration for the overwhelming majority of these individuals and make our voices heard,” he said.
In another post on the same social network, the far-right group claims that “the April Fascists want to ban patriots from demonstrating in Porto”.
With the meeting point set for Praça D. João I, the protest will continue along Rua Dr. Magalhães Lemos, Avenida dos Aliados and Rua Sá da Bandeira, ending where it began.
For its part, the Housing Today association has also called for a demonstration “Against Fascism, More and Better Housing” on Saturday.
According to the PSP, the action began at 17:00 in Praça da Batalha, which is 350 meters from the meeting place of the far-right protest.
On the social network Facebook, the association is calling for “the Portuguese and immigrant working class to unite against fascism, hatred and disinformation”.
In an attempt to prevent the demonstration called by the 1143 group from taking place, several organizations involved in the “demonstration against fascism” launched an open letter addressed to the President of the Republic, the mayor of Porto, the commander of Porto’s PSP and other justice officials.
Consulted by Lusa, the missive, similar to the one released in January following the demonstration “against the Islamization of Europe” in Martim Moniz, Lisbon, calls for “a halt to this demonstration which (…) is an incitement to hatred and violence and not a mere exercise of freedom of expression”.
“With this letter we want to defend the safety of all immigrants in Portugal, combat racism, xenophobia, religious hostility and the growth of hate speech that we have been witnessing,” they add.
