CHEGA leader describes “historic day. Movement will not stop growing”
Almost 3,000 people gathered in Lisbon today, rallying to the ‘Salvar Portugal’ demonstration against uncontrolled immigration, convened by right wing party CHEGA.
Calling the turnout “historic”, CHEGA leader André Ventura said: “It is a historic demonstration, in the sense that it is the first time in Portugal’s history that a large movement has taken to the streets to say that it doesn’t want to put an end to immigration, but to control immigration
“I hope the government, I hope Parliament, I hope the country realises that if they don’t stop in time, we won’t either. This movement will not stop growing”, he said.
The demonstration took off towards Rossio mid-afternoon with shouts of “not one more, not one more”.
Ventura told reporters: “Portugal is experiencing uncontrolled immigration. We currently have an immigrant population of between 10-15%. It’s a figure that surpasses even historic immigration countries in Europe and the (previous) Socialist government, as well as this government, show no intention of changing this policy (…) that’s why the people have to take to the streets”.
Ventura stressed his party is in favour of “a country open to those who want to come for good, to those who want to come to work”.
Asked how this control would be carried out, he replied that every year parliament would have to set quotas “and only those would enter according to the needs of the economy”.
Asked what to do if immigrants commit crimes, Ventura argued that there is only one solution. “Anyone who commits offences in Portugal, being an immigrant, has only one path: deportation. That’s what we advocate,’ he said, claiming this is not what has been happening in Portugal.
As for a counter-demonstration due to take place at the same time, Ventura said he hoped everyone would respect CHEGA’s ideas.
“I expect respect from everyone. Both those who came to our demonstration, but also those on the other side”, he said.
Quizzed over whether people fleeing war should not be welcomed in Portugal, Ventura replied that they should – but countered that “those who are coming from Morocco, those from Senegal, those from Nepal, are not coming from any war.
“Either we put an end to this or one day there will be no country that survives and there are no borders that survive. Today is the first time, as I say, that we’ve seen thousands of people on the streets of Lisbon defending this”.
Regarding the benefits of immigration for social security, the Chega leader argued that “controlling immigration will have good consequences for the economy”, adding that the excess has already had negative consequences for health and housing.
A strong police force was in place for the demonstration, with several intervention police vans.
About 20 minutes before the start, the leader of far-right 1143 movement, Mário Machado, arrived, accompanied by a few dozen people, mostly dressed in black, who gathered a few metres away from demonstrators and chanted “Portugal is ours and will be”.
Amnesty International also sent three people to the scene to observe.
Contacted by Lusa, the Public Security Police (PSP) said that it was counting on a ‘necessary and appropriate’ police reinforcement to accompany the demo, as well as the ‘sit in’ promoted by anti-fascist collectives, considering the possibility of them crossing paths (which in fact happened, leading to two arrests).
As Lusa recaps: “the foreign population in Portugal increased by around 33% last year, totalling more than one million immigrants living legally in the country, according to a document presented in June by the government.
“According to the PSD/CDS-PP executive, most of the residence permits granted in Portugal are for professional activity.
“The document also states that migration contributes to ‘demographic revitalisation and an increase in the working population’, with the majority of foreign residents in Portugal aged between 25 and 44.
“These figures were presented after the Council of Ministers approved the Action Plan for Migration, at which time the Prime Minister rejected ‘any direct link’ between the ‘capacity to welcome immigrants and increases in crime rates’.
As CHEGA basked in what it considers to be the success of this initiative, in Austria polls are suggesting the country’s Freedom Party is set for “unprecedented election victory”. Radio Free Europe declares that the spectre of a right wing election win, “terrifies immigrants” in the country.
LUSA
