A group of Americans living in Portugal is planning a protest in Lisbon later this month to express concerns about the current political situation in the United States.
The demonstration, organised by the group AMPT UP (Americans in Portugal United in Protest), is scheduled to take place at Praça do Comércio from 3pm to 4pm on Saturday, March 28.
According to organisers, the protest is part of a wider mobilisation involving Americans both in the United States and abroad who want to voice support for democratic values and raise concerns about political developments in Washington.
“United States politics no longer stops at the border,” organisers say in a statement, adding that many Americans living abroad want to ensure their voices are heard on issues affecting the country’s democratic institutions.
“Portugal may be a small country, but our community of American expats and immigrants is on the front lines of exercising our democratic right to speak up and tell our government in Washington, DC what we think of the job they are doing in our name,” the group says.
“At the moment, they are wildly out of sync with the wishes and values of the American people… including Americans who live outside the US. Furthermore, our government has shown itself to be brazenly corrupt, which is not only an insult to citizens’ values, but corruption is ultimately what brings down governments,” it adds.
The group also said the Lisbon protest aims to show solidarity with demonstrations taking place in the United States as part of a movement referred to by organisers as the “No Kings” protests.
“We refuse to have our democracy taken down because of the greed of a handful of criminals using illegitimate power to suppress people’s power. In other words, we’re mad as hell, and we want our government and the world to know it,” the American group states.
“As Trump and his corrupt cronies work to take away our democracy, we’re fighting back… non-violently, of course. All across America, millions will come out to send our government a message. And we in the international community will be out in force, too. We want the whole world to know that we stand in solidarity with the No Kings protesters in the US,” they say.
AMPT UP says it expects a significant turnout from members of the American community in Portugal, as well as supporters interested in the issues being raised.
Organisers add that they are “grateful for the opportunity to live in Portugal” but feel it is important to remain engaged with political developments in their home country.
“We know we have a duty to stand up for what’s right in America, too. And what’s happening now is not right. You know it, and we know it. It affects Americans, and it affects the world, too.”
