“We are together, all against André Ventura” – and Ventura reacts: “I’m glad it’s like that”

“If it weren’t for the gypsies, there wouldn’t be this fair”, heard Gouveia e Melo in his debut in an official political campaign.

The presidential candidate Gouveia e Melo made his debut this Sunday in an official political campaign. Heading to the presidential elections on the 18th.

It was received, above all, with respect by most of the company’s salespeople and customers. Watch Fairin Lisbon, where he heard mixed messages against André Ventura, but also against the democratic system.

“We are together, all against André Ventura”shouted a salesman to the former Chief of Staff of the Navy, just as the admiral was preparing to leave the fair, after more than an hour of walking through clothing or food stalls.

“If it weren’t for the gypsies, there wouldn’t be this fair”a man said to the presidential candidate. Nearby, a saleswoman, who was listening to the conversation, concluded: “We are not here at the market for free, we pay to be here; I’ll vote for anyone but the racist.”

The admiral also heard complaints against immigration policy. The most incisive came from a Brazilian citizen who sells pastries and sugarcane juice: “We must respect immigrants, whether from Brazil, Bangladesh or Pakistan. We work and respect the law. Immigrants are people. They’re here working. Portugal is a country of immigrants.”

A saleswoman asked the retired admiral “not to leave the gypsy ethnic group behind”. “There is no gypsy ethnicity, we are all Portuguese“, reacted the candidate.

Faced with anti-system, or anti-Ventura, comments, Henrique Gouveia e Melo reacted using the formula of promising to fight for the country’s territorial and social cohesion, defending an idea of ​​“a sense of community and unity”.

Ventura’s reaction

Hours later, in Silves, André Ventura reacted to this first moment of official campaign in the career of his competitor from Belém.

“I heard the candidate Gouveia e Melo at a fair with gypsies and immigrants and people saying that the gypsies worked hard and paid a lot and that he was their candidate”.

“Well, then I think things are clear now and I’m glad it’s like this: I go to the Feira do Relógio, which has the support of gypsies, immigrants – I want to have the support of the Portuguesethat’s the candidate I want to be”, said the president of Chega.