Did Portugal have doors wide open for immigrants? Mortágua’s short (and then complete) answer

“Don’t push us against the wall” demonstration is expected to bring together thousands of people. BE leader recalls that “immigrants guarantee basic services”.

Thousands of people are expected this Saturday in Lisbon in a manifestation against racism and xenophobia, called “Don’t push us against the wall”in protest against police action in the area that targeted immigrants.

Following the PSP’s intervention on December 19th on Rua do Benformoso, near Martim Moniz, in Lisbon, and the images of dozens of immigrants leaning against the walls of buildings, to be searched, several left-wing activists and a hundred organizations signed an appeal against the actions of the police forces towards the outskirts and immigrants.

The announcement of a demonstration, which starts at 3pm next to Alameda and ends in Martim Moniz, prompted a response from far-right groups and the Chega party organized a vigil of support to the PSP in Praça da Figueira for the same afternoon, called “For authority and against impunity”.

The police action on December 19 was criticized by the president of the Santa Maria Maior City Council, Miguel Coelho, who has already said that he will not participate in the demonstration organized to contest the policy’s action.

The demonstration “may even have as promoters people who I value and who are convinced of its importance, but it is also sponsored by many populist radicals, ‘left-wing wokistswho, by instrumentalizing the community of immigrants targeted in the police operation – for whom until now they have expressed little concern or social solidarity – will seek to transform the demonstration into an attack on the police”, wrote the mayor, on his page on the social network Facebook.

Miguel Coelho who reaffirmed his opposition to the PSP’s actions, considering it “unacceptable” due to the “posture, the social and ethnic group of the people targeted and the duration of it”, but highlighted that today’s protest is “dangerous”, as “ it will only favor the extreme right.”

The mayor recalled that there are places in Mouraria, close to Marim Moniz, which are “areas of insecurity, almost always related to the sale/consumption of drugs and alcohol on the street, especially at night”, but which are not related to the presence of immigrants.

During the day on Friday, the party ADN, of the extreme right, placed posters in the Martim Moniz area against what he considers to be illegal immigration, but they were removed because they were not authorized.

For the demonstration, several party leaders and leaders of anti-racist organizations supporting immigrants and peripheral neighborhoods are expected, such as Solidariedade Imigrante, SOS Racismo, Vida Justa, Casa do Brasil de Lisboa or Moinho da Juventude.

Local organizations such as Bangladesh Coletivo, Beahmanbaria Community of Portugal, Cozinha Comunitária dos Anjos, Renovar a Mouraria or Sirigaita also joined the event.

According to the promoters, the participants argue that “all people who live and work in Portugal must be treated with dignity and that This police action was not an isolated casehappening regularly in other outskirts of Lisbon and the country”.

“Security cannot be confused with the instrumentalization of the police” and the “signatories call for a demonstration that demands dignity, social rights and freedom for those who live and work in Portugal”, can also be read in the promoters’ statement.

Mariana Mortágua

Related to this Martim Moniz theme, the coordinator of Bloco de Esquerda was asked if Portugal had “doors wide open” for immigrants in recent years?

First, short answer: “No, there wasn’t. That’s the obvious answer“.

After, Mariana Mortágua justified himself and completed the answer: “Whoever is at Martim Moniz, the immigrants who came to Portugal, work in Portugal and guarantee basic services“, he recalled.

“When people emigrate, they emigrate to work. And that is why, today, very important sectors of the Portuguese economy would not be able to survive without this immigrant work. And these are the facts”, he assured.

While remembering that the register of each immigrant is checked, Mariana Mortágua leaves another perspective: “The immigration becomes uncontrolled when it is prohibited. Immigrants continue to arrive but are unable to regularize. And they will continue to arrive because the Portuguese economy needs them”.

“But If we don’t give them the conditions, it will be a problem. Portugal is creating all the conditions to make it difficult to welcome and integrate these people”, concluded the Bloc deputy.