The Council of Europe warned on Wednesday (18) to increase hate speeches and crimes in Portugal, focusing on immigrants, black people, gypsies and sexual minorities.
The statement follows the publication of a new European Commission report against racism and intolerance (ECRI), which demands a more assertive response from the Portuguese authorities in the face of the advance of intolerance.
According to ECRI, based in Strasbourg, the country is experiencing a “worrying escalation of verbal and symbolic attacks”, especially in digital environments, and points out that the growth of the far right – now the main opposition force in Parliament – expands the institutional risk of setback in fundamental guarantees.
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Among the main points of the report, the European agency recommends firm actions to ensure decent housing to Gypsies, who still live largely in precarious conditions, and proposes specific training programs for police and justice operators on how to deal with hate crimes.
Although it recognizes advances in areas such as LGBTI+population rights, including the right to gender self -determination and the criminalization of so -called “conversion therapies”, ECRI maintains that progress has not been sufficient to contain the dissemination of intolerance in social and political sectors.
Extremist groups and threats to democracy
The report also mentions cases of racist motivation violence, some linked to neo -Nazi groups, and makes direct reference to threats against democratic institutions. One day before the document was released, the Portuguese Judicial Police arrested six people linked to an far right group on suspicion of terrorism, incitement to hatred and violence. According to local press, among the detainees is a police officer, and the group would have planned an attack on Parliament.
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ECRI also expresses concern about the impact of controversial statements from political leaders, which, according to the report, can legitimize prejudice and weaken minority protection mechanisms.
The Council of Europe currently brings together 46 countries and acts as the main multilateral body for the defense of human rights and the rule of law on the continent.
