Portugal’s far right party urges police to demonstrate inside and outside parliament
Movimento Zero – the ‘inorganic police movement’ powering forwards with demands for pay parity regarding the ‘risk subsidy’ that has caused so much division for months – has shown itself to be ‘fully supporting’ Portugal’s right wing party CHEGA, which has set itself up as a champion of the cause.
CHEGA has presented a “draft law” on what it believes police should be being paid, and this comes up for discussion in parliament on Thursday.
As reports explain, CHEGA’s draft law is very much in line with the demands of the ‘platform of PSP syndicates and GNR associations’ – and around €100 per agent MORE than the government is offering.
CHEGA leader André Ventura has appealed over social media for “the presence of all” police, to demonstrate during the debate/ vote.
“Security forces: everyone to Parliament on July 4 at 3pm. (…) I need you to come to Parliament, in the galleries and outside, to show your strength. Come from all over the country,” encourages Ventura’s message.
Movimento Zero has reciprocated with its own appeal to the membership: “Movimento Zero appeals to each and every one of you to be present in front of the parliamentary building. It is an opportunity to make our voices heard; to demand respect and better working conditions. Our mobilisation could make all the difference”.
Less than 24-hours since France was rocked by a far right surge, and a new far right movement has been launched in Europe, events in Portugal are ratcheting up.
Political commentator Paulo Baldaia has been telling SIC, “it is evident that André Ventura is taking political advantage” of the current scenario. But it is more than that: Movimento Zero is described by the media as “inorganic”, says Baldaia, but it has an organisation that is “sometimes superior to the organisation that police syndicates are demonstrating”.
CHEGA’s draft law has very little chance of ‘passing’, due to the opposition of the government and ostensibly PS Socialists as well – but the message it sends to the country’s police forces will exacerbate tensions, at a point where they are already running ‘dangerously close to the wire’.
Reacting to the sweeping results for the far right in France yesterday, André Ventura has said it is “great motivation for us to win the next elections…”
Next elections? Well, even former PSD leader Cavaco Silva has been talking about them …
