Manuel de Almeida / Lusa
Residents of the Talude neighborhood protest against the demolition of “more than 60 dwellings”, the day the Loures City Council announced new demolitions in Loures, July 14, 2025
The initiative of the Socialist Board of Portela and Moscavide is being criticized by the left, which accuses the PS of copying the discourse of the arrival.
The Portela and Moscavide Parish Council, in the municipality of Loures, created a office presented as a “pioneer at national level” initiative that serves to collect anonymous allegations of illegal dwellings, with excessive capacity or unhealthy conditions.
O Local Identity Defense Officeas it was nicknamed, it aims, according to the president of the Board, Ricardo Lima (PS), to channel frequent complaints from the population to the competent authorities, such as PSP, Public Prosecution Service or AIMA.
On the Board Portal, you can complete an anonymous form to report suspicious situations, with description of the place, date and availability to provide more information.
Since its inception in April, the cabinet has identified 19 situations, especially in Moscavide, a zone recognized for its traditional trade. Among the most problematic cases there is an old bakery that can being lodging up to 50 people. Lima states that the initiative aims to preserve the commercial and community character of the parish, and has no discriminatory motivations. “It has nothing to do with being migrant or national,” says the mayor to.
However, parties to the left of the PS contest the measure. Rita Sarrico, from the Left Block, criticizes the creation of a channel of anonymous complaints and stresses that the “local identity” is built with community ties and not persecution. “It’s something that It happened in the Estado Novo. It is up to the competent authorities to oversee and not to amateur vigilante offices, ”he argues.
The blocker also points to the timing of the initiative, coinciding with the election year, and accuses the local PS of trying to replicate the speech of the far right. “This It looks like an idea of the arrival”He says.
Also the CDU, by the voice of Ana Paula Silva, criticizes the measure and considers that the focus should be on defense of fair income and Public Housing Promotion.
