Speaking today in Castelo de Vide, minister for interior administration Margarida Blasco has said that the GNR and PSP police are “not racist or xenophobic”, emphasising that they are made up of “diverse” and “multicultural” members.
Reacting to the unrest in various outlying areas of the capital, the minister said: “Without prejudice to the inquiries under investigation and their conclusions, last week’s episodes of violence in the Lisbon metropolitan area illustrate the irreplaceable role of our GNR and PSP agents (…)
The government and I know that the working environment of the security forces is highly demanding and complex, and we know that their public scrutiny is necessary and legitimate”. In short, the PSP and GNR “do not act’ on the basis of origin, gender, skin colour, creed, religion or any other condition”.
Criticism of Ms Blasco’s performance during the last week of tensions has led to some political commentators suggesting she will need to be replaced in the next government reshuffle.
