Defence minister considers “enough is enough!”
In spite of all the entreaties from authorities, Saturday night saw yet another slew of ‘disturbances’ in greater Lisbon – “seven cases of ‘arson of urban furniture, mostly rubbish bins”, a “stoning of a shop in a shopping centre” and a firecracker explosion, according to PSP police.
The day had seen thousands attend a peaceful protest demanding justice for Odair Moniz, the Cape Verdean chef killed by PSP police on Monday night – and today saw his funeral, also ‘peaceful’, albeit there is a groundswell of opinion now against the PSP national command, which many see as having confused this tragedy even further by issuing an initial misleading statement.
Without doubt, the shooting of Odair Moniz has become Portugal’s George Floyd moment – a point when the spotlight focuses on the treatment meted out by authorities to ‘people of colour’, as opposed to white people.
Yesterday, defence minister Nuno Melo said the equivalent of ‘enough is enough’, referring to the consecutive nights of arson and attacks across the capital.
“My appeal is for a return to normality”, he told reporters. “Enough, really, of a situation that is not in anyone’s favour, that destroys equipment that serves the very people who carry out these acts every day, that frightens people who want to be able to educate their children, go to work every day, basically live in normality.”
And over the weekend, reports cited the PJ as saying their investigation into this incident will be concluded within a month. Only after this will it become clear whether or not the PSP agent who pulled the trigger will face criminal charges. Right now, according to Expresso, he is an official suspect indicted for ‘simple homicide’. It may well be that this changes. Everything hinges on the investigation.
