Leiria looks like a carousel and a zoo: harsh words from the president of the Chamber

“I find it ridiculous that someone shows up with half a dozen bottles, and films themselves in a small van”, lamented Gonçalo Lopes.

“This is a war environment“. And in Portugal “there are few people prepared” to respond to phenomena such as .

Leiria should have entered calamity situation soonerand should continue beyond this Sunday, according to an (exalted) president of the Chamber Municipality of that city.

Gonçalo Lopes (PS) told journalists, this Saturday, that he has the “clear perception” that it is necessary prolong this situation, especially because on Sunday.

“It is natural that many of the structures that are not safe need more time for us to intervene. We need a level of readiness that remains high over the next few days. Leiria also has a river that has been disciplined within its banks and has already overflowed its banks”, he warned.

The mayor admitted that, at first, “there was no awareness of the scale of the problem” – but now the calamity has been more than identified.

Carousel and zoo

Gonçalo Lopes thinks that what has been happening in Leiria since Wednesday is “an intervention that generated a huge confusion in many minds of those who only think about Lisbon”.

Instead of looking at the real problems, he considers, what he has seen in recent days “is a carousel of people coming to Leiria as if it were a zoo”.

“I have the utmost respect for all the Government’s politicians, who are in solidarity with Leiria. I will need the Government to rebuild Leiria. I will need a strong Government, aware and close to the people”.

And, without mentioning the name André Ventura, he said: “I find it ridiculous when someone wants to offer half a dozen bottles of water and films themselves to bring them, in a tiny van, to help to the district and municipality of Leiria”.

“It’s a offense to what we are going through. Tired. Tired of this type of attitude.”

“Taking advantage of what is happening to campaign, no. It is an offense to those who are suffering, to those who have been without water, without electricity, in extreme difficulties for more than two days”, he added.

In the reaction, Andre Ventura said he wasn’t going to come in “Political jokes” because “we have to focus on what failed and on helping these people. I was concerned about going to the center of Leiria immediately, I heard in the center of Leiria from several people that it was much worse around and I felt I had a duty as a candidate to be here”.

António José Seguro heard but does not identify with these words: “Don’t fit in my behavior. The behavior I have had is constant and permanent contact with the mayors and let me know that, on the same day, I was on the ground; I just made a clear separation between the electoral campaign and my duty as a Portuguese and as a candidate for President of the Republic; I went to talk to people and see the damage.”

Despite the current scenario, the President of the Chamber is trusting on full recovery: “I fully believe that if there is one place where Portugal is prepared to react better to what happened, it is my municipality.”

As communications they are reestablished in almost the entire municipality of Leiria, the councilor of the City Council, Luís Lopes, announced in the meantime.