Paulo Cunha / LUSA
Chega party leader, André Ventura.
Two videos are in question, which could expel André Ventura from the social network within 48 hours. Chega’s leader threatens legal action: “this is very serious”.
The social network TikTok is preparing to suspend André Ventura’s account within 48 hours, as it considers two videos published on his account to be problematic.
One of the videos in question referred to Clovis Abreuinitially convicted of the death of PSP agent Fábio Guerra, in 2021, but later acquitted of the crime of qualified homicide.
According to the newspaper this week, Clóvis Abreu presented a criminal complaint against André Ventura for aggravated defamation and discrimination and incitement to hatred and violence.
Ventura “formulated judgments and imputed to the complainant facts that, in addition to being false, are extremely offensive on a personal level and to the gypsy community, as if everyone belonging to it were criminals, homicidal”, argues Clóvis Abreu’s defense.
In April, Ventura said, on TikTok: “The acquittal of a gypsy, Clóvis, who, after beating a police officer to death in Lisbon, still fled. There had to be a negotiation between the community and the Portuguese State – imagine, as if this happened to anyone else – to voluntarily hand himself in. As if gypsies had any privilege under the law. He murdered a police officer and yesterday saw himself being acquitted and reduced to sentence for 6 years. This is what a police officer’s life is worth. How can we not be a savagery of crime? With minorities and poor things always benefiting.”
Recently, in reaction to the criminal complaint filed against him, Ventura on the same social network: “This gypsy is going to sue me for saying the obvious”.
In May, the MP opened one of several videos published by André Ventura in which the Chega leader criticized the gypsy community.
The other video that could get Ventura kicked off TikTok concerned Charlie Kirkthe American conservative political influencer who was on September 10, during an event at the University of Utah, in the USA.
The leader of Chega and candidate for President of the Republic reacted with indignation to the warning from the Chinese social network.
“TikTok apparently wants to ban my account because of the videos about gypsies and Charlie Kirk. This is pure and harsh censorship, it is unacceptable political cancellation”, André Ventura on X, displaying the “Account ban warning”.
“This is very serious, I am the politician with the most followers in Portugal”, said the leader of Chega, quoted by .
Ventura now has 48 hours to file an appeal in court. If the appeal is not accepted, the account will be deleted. “I will appeal and notify the social network and I will immediately summon them to court”, guarantees Ventura.
André Ventura has more than 565 thousand followers no. He is the party leader with the highest number of views on all social networks, with a wide gap to his political rivals, according to an ISCTE study in April.
